Happy Halloween II

surely you remember the Creepy Creature from the Electric Company...you really can find anything online. now if only i could find the WB Cartoon with the dog, the cat and the gravy...

Happy Halloween!!

Absolutely Fabulous~ the Pet Shop Boys

timeless...absolutely timeless...

Brooklyn Welcomes You

i'm back in Brooklyn.
thank god.

i'm at my desk, with my phone, pictures of Stephen and the boys, and my pumpkin that Giggly gave me for halloween. the office is even temperatured and i know the people around me. oh how i missed the dulcet tones of Cunty and Dum-Dum screeching at each other, in their high-pitched steam whistle with a Brooklyn accent caterwauls! it's good to be home.

sadly, i'll be returning to Jersey in a few weeks, but for now i'll bask in the glow of my computer and sip my coffee from the Man-in-the-Box. he's the little Puerto Rican man who has a 6 x 6 steel box from which he sells the best coffee in Downtown brooklyn. i told him how i take my coffee once, two years ago, and now when he sees me it's ready and waiting. we don't speak, except for "thank you", he understands there's no reason to have a chit-chat before 7:30 in the morning. he hands me my coffee and i hand him his $1.25, end of transaction, have a nice day. i'll be honest, even if they built a Starbucks in the building, i'd still go to him just 'cause there's no pressure to speak.

he is reason #459 why i'd rather be working in Brooklyn than New Jersey.

I Don't Know Much About Drugs (But My Coffee Tastes Fierce)

i've never tried cocaine (or any drugs for that matter), but if its high is half as powerful as what i feel having drunk a third of my "Venti, Six shot, Skim, No Foam Maple Macchiato", then i can see what all the fuss is about.




right now i'm vibrating like a tuning fork.
i feel like i could run back to Staten Island from here.
i'm superman.
i can fly.
T.G.I.F.

(btw: how much do you love David LaChapelle and Amanda Lepore?)

"violently happy/it will get me into trouble/violently happy/i'm driving my car/too fast/with ecstatic music on"~ Violently Happy (Bjork)

I'm So Easily Surprised...

George O'Malley's gay.

Gina Gershon plays the jew's harp on the new Scissor Sister's album.

Jew's Harp~~>

Some Thoughts From Before I've Had Coffee (in no particular order)

1. Junior Vasquez's 14 minute mix of Kristine W's Fly Again is so good that i'm surprised it hasn't been banned in 48 states.
2. Maybe NJ isn't so bad...maybe...
3. Cher needs to do another movie.
4. Best Buy was sold out of Season 3 of the L Word, should i buy it somewhere else or just wait it out?
5. we really need to find a photogapher.
6. a honeymoon might be nice. maybe a gay cruise. nah they're too...cruisey...

Tasteless

the trip to the dentist went alot better than i had anticipated...despite the lack of a treasure chest. she was very warm, very pretty and very Brooklyn. after alot of scraping and blood, she told me that my teeth were in great shape (neither cavities nor decay, still...after 30 years!) but my gums were/are "red and angry". all in all, it was more painful getting my tattoos. she recommended a Sonic toothbrush and prescribed a mouth wash to be used in the morning and before bedtime. dutifully, i bought the toothbrush (it really does work alot better) and filled the 'scrip for the mouthwash.

it tastes awful. like kissing someone who smokes a pack of Menthol cigarettes a day. it also made everything taste...bad. things were neither salty nor sweet enough. because he's quite a bit smarter than i, stephen read through all the warnings and precautions: tingling, possible staining of teeth with prolonged use (the dentist had warned me of that), temporary change in sense of taste; occasionally change is permanent. Wait a second...hold up. occasionally change is permanent.WTF!? the straw that finally broke the camel's back was when i attempted to eat a Krispy Creme glazed doughnut, yesterday. it tasted the way diet soda tastes: strangely unsweet while also being too sweet. this will not do. putting some extra sugar in my coffee is one thing, but when i can't enjoy the occasional doughnut, nuh-uh. no good. sorry, doc. i called her straight away and told he my predicament. she agreed that one should not be forced to live doughnut-less, and told me to toss the mouthwash and switch to Listerine (it works just as well).

i still have a bit of bad taste in my mouth, but i can honestly say it's fading. hopefully by tomorrow it will be all gone. to celebrate, i'm going to treat myself to another doughnut.

Good Morning Jersey

i hate New Jersey, i really do. the way the people drive; how they dress, it's all incredibly irritating. it's like New York's inbred cousin. sadly, i'm stuck in the backward Garden stae for the next week. my company has been forced to establish an office for "Disaster Recovery": in case of another 9/11 we are to come here to East Wazoo, NJ (the only town in america without a STARBUCKS) to do our jobs. right. 'cause if NY gets attacked, my 1st thought is to drive over the Goethals Bridge (as if it would be an option), into deepest, greenest, biggest-hair-ville. sure. hold your breath for that. in case of another 9/11, the last thing i'll be thinking of is my job.
the office is amazingly cold (maybe it's the non-stop air conditioning in a room with 100 computer terminals, but only 7 people). i don't really know any of the other people i'm with, except for Snarky and the Tupperware lady. my computer is slower than Angela Landsbury making love, and my phone's buttons are all stuck so i can't really dial out. the only upshot is that i'm outta here every day at 4 and it only takes 45 minutes to get home.

Take the Cake 2: the Sequel

everyone loved the cake, except Sassy.
best of all, i got to use my Tupperware Square Cake Taker to take the square cake to work on the train!
overjoyed does not begin to describe my feelings.

As Helpful As a Kick in the Teeth

i have a dentist appointment tomorrow at 9am. Stephen's been on me for the last year or so to go and i finally gave in (secretly, i think he wants me go so the dentist can check out the teeth before he "buys the pony"). it's been a while...like a few years. now, don't go looking at me funny; i'm not some sort of yuck-mouth. i brush every day and have never had a cavity. the last time i went, though was to have all four of my wisdom teeth removed. it was, by far and above, one of the worst experiences of my adult life (yes, worse than Glitter). every once in a while, i have nightmares of the sound of the tooth snapping or the drill whirring. i know it sounds like i'm being a drama queen, but since i had never had problems with my teeth before, all the pain, discomfort, and swelling were terribly new experiences; experiences which i do not wish to have again.

when i was younger we went to the Dentist every year, like clockwork. i remember the waiting room, where he showed cartoons of the Fantastic Four and Spiderwoman. then i'd go into the exam room where he was very gentle and personable; i never felt uncomfortable or in pain. i can still taste the pads he'd put in my mouth for the x-rays (they tasted sweet like bubblegum). then, at the end of the visit, he had a big treasure chest where we could pick out one toy for being "so good" (i always chose a ring of some sort, usually with a spider or something on it so it looked less...girly). it was a trip i actually looked forward to, if you could believe it and saw him till i was well into High School. after High School, i'd go every couple of years and it was always the same thing: cleaning and a lecture on flossing. then came my wisdom teeth. no need to rehash that drama.

so i stayed away from the dentist for a few years (4?5?). i did it to avoid going through all the unpleasantness i went through last time, but i've reached a point where i know i should go in for a cleaning at the very least (brushing twice a day can only do so much). i'm still very nervous, though. do you think she'll have a treasure chest?

"When I was younger/ just a bad little kid/My mama noticed funny things I did/Like shootin' puppies with a B B gun/I'd poison guppies, and when I was done/I'd find a pussycat and bash in its head/That's when my mama said /My boy, I think someday/You'll find a way /To make your natural tendencies pay/You'll be a dentist/You have a talent for causin' things pain/Son, be a dentist"~ Dentist (Little Shop of Horrors)

Take the Cake

i've said it before, i'll say it again: almost all the women i know are popping out babies left and right. tomorrow, my immediate supervisor (Brainy) goes on maternity leave for, like, 30 weeks (will i get leave when Stephen and i adopt our Yorkies?). in honor of the occasion and because i absolutely adore her, i'm making a cake:

the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cake

how friggin' fabulous does that look? stephen found it in one of those Cake Mix Magic books they sell as impule items at the supermarket. i made it for my parents a few weeks ago and they absolutely flipped! anyway, she loves cake and she loves PB & J, so i figured it's right up her alley.

Sit for a Spell

i have a confession to make: i'm a terrible speller. yup, it's true; i can't spell for shit. in grammar school (**shudder**), i was always one of the 1st kids down during St. Frances Cabrini's bi-monthly Spelling Bees and cheated,more than once, during our weekly spelling tests. at least once a day i find myself singing the little ditties i learned, in my head to help remember how to spell words like "receive" (i before e except before c or when sounding like a as in "neighbor" and "weigh"). if that doesn't work, i rely heavily on my old pal, the greatest invention of the 20th century: Spellcheck.
i'm really convinced that every program where one enters text should have some sort of built-in/mandatory spellcheck, because even though i am a terrible speller, when other people spell words incorrectly, it drives me absolutely nuts. now don't think i'm some sort of word Nazi (ok i am, but let me continue anyway), i'm not talking about misusing words (ie. typos or where you write one word instead of another), i mean blatant and egregious butchering of the word itself. the misuse of homophones, though...that drives me nuts.

back when i was an AOL trollop (about 4 years ago, BS: Before Stephen), if i was chatting with a guy (whether as a potential hook-up or just a friendly how-do-you-do) and he had the communication skills of a Third Worlder, it was an instant no-go (unless his picture made "communication" a non-Issue but that's a different post). now, i look around and am utterly appalled at how poorly people write. the department in which i work requires us to post notes on the clients' accounts, depending on what we're doing with them. during the course of my day i read about 150+ notes written by my colleagues. i can't even begin to tell you how poorly some of them (specifically TNG and Dummy) write. 80% of the time they're completely unintelligible. how they've survived in the company for more than 10 years is amazing. not that it's better in other companies. it's amazing how much paperwork and e-mail i receive where words are misspelled or the instructions are just completely incomprehensible. it's utterly embarrassing to think who's acting as a representative for our company. i'm a bad speller, but you'd never know. why? Outlook has Spellchek built in people, it only takes a minute; use it!

i have a credo that i've kept to since i started writing back in kindergarten, one which i'd like to put on a t-shirt or cross-stitch on a pillow: If You Can't Spell the Word, Use a Different One. is that harsh? maybe, but it's how i feel. it's the same with poor grammar and malapropism. we live a country where education isn't just available to all, it's compulsory. there's absolutely no excuse for the inability to communicate an idea, using words.

"A linguistic form that can meaningfully be spoken in isolation/Conversation, expression, a promise, a sigh/In short, a lie/A message from heaven, a signal from hell/I give you my word I'll never tell/Language that is used in anger/Personal feelings signaling danger/A brief remark, an utterance, information/Don't mince words, don't be evasive/Speak your mind, be persuasive/A pledge, a commitment, communication, words"~ Words (Madonna)

Just John Michael

this is the best story John has ever told (better than the time he cried his way out of a parking ticket. better than the time he talked to Sabrina from the L Word on the phone, better than the time he drove CeCe Penniston around in a golfcart). if i didn't know him, i'd think it was completely made up...but i do know him, so i know it's not. this kind of thing only happens to him, and i'm (truly) lucky enough to be the 1st person he calls when things like this happen.

wouldn't it be amazing if they actually hit it off and start some kind of Long Distance love affair, where Seattle Guy eventually moves to New York and they live happily ever after? that would be a great story for them to be able to tell their cats one day..."How I Met Your Father"

"I had to interrupt and stop this conversation/Your voice across the line gives me a strange sensation/I'd like to talk when I can show you my affection/Oh I can't control myself"~ Hanging on the Telephone (Blondie)

Framed

so, remember the stamps that stephen got me a few weeks ago? well, i took them and the poster i bought at the Rufus Wainwright concert and got them all framed!

these camera phone pictures do not do them justice; they both look fantastic! Rufus is hanging on the stairs up to the bedroom, and the stamps are hanging over my bedside lamp.

Keeping it All in Perspective

just when i think i'm having a shitty day at work, Stephen sends me the following text: "Today beats yesterday! I just got pooped on"
and i thought my mountains of paperwork were bad.

R.I.P. PC and I'm Not Feeling Zen-like

i murdered Stephen's computer. it was an accident, i assure you! the poor old dear couldn't handle my fancy new MP3 player and just up and died. granted, she was on her last legs to begin with and has been looking quite haggard lately (since we started bringing her to our Pampered Chef shows), but my MP3 player (who has yet to be properly named), delivered the death blow when i tried to synch her with my old player. after getting to 50% synched, the old girl cried out and lost her mind.
it was quite pathetic.
Stephen is now fervently searching out a new PC; he's enlisted the help of Nil's honey, JS, and is scouring the sales online trying to find something that will support our Pampered Chef software (and other important applications, like MS Word) and my obscene music addiction. i, in the meantime, have an MP3 player that is only half synched. additionally, some of the songs are dupes. how that happened, i have no idea.
let's all cross our fingers, 'cause i don't know how i'm going to get through this week with only 3000 songs to choose from.
it may not actually be an issue, though since the playback time isn't anywhere near the 14 hours listed on both Creative and Best Buy's websites. i already put a call into them on Friday (during the 2 hour bus ride home) and received a half-assed e-mail telling me to cut back on things like the brightness of the screen (which i've had at the lowest setting since i got her). the customer service rep told me to call back if there was still a problem. surprise! there's still a problem. Today's rep told me to bring it back to Best Buy; that "14 hours is an aproximation".

now, i'm unhappy.

Balls to the Wall

my office is currently in the middle of a war between the Mets' and the Yankees' fans. apparantly if your one, you can't be the other. even though the Yankees aren't in whatever series the Mets are currently in, their loyal acolytes are in complete denial and still claim their team is better than the Mets. they taunt and jeer each other like kids on a playground. the tension is so high that i'm sure there will be a fistfight pretty soon. i don't get it.

i don't understand why we need two teams, in the same city, for the same sport. i don't get why there aren't more NEW YORK fans (as opposed to Yankee/Met fans). i don't get why ordinary everyday people get so incensed over a game. it's a game, folks. at the end of the series, what have you gotten out of it? you weren't playing. you don't actually know any of the players. why such emotional involvment? (with the possible exception of religion) no where else do you see such fanatical devotion to events that do not truly effect the common man. people don't even get so worked up over politics, and that truly affects people's lives. why is baseball so important to people? ditto for football, hockey, and basketball. the only games i kinda "get" is World Cup soccer and the Olympics: this team represents your nation.

i mean, it's not like you see people walking around with t-shirts that say "Pick Meredith" or "Go Addison", and if ever there was a reason to get emotionally involved in a situation that has nothing to do with you, it's that one*...

*we're in the middle of watching Season 2 on DVD. i have no idea if McDreamy chooses one by the end of the season OR in Season 3. if either is the case, i guess i'll find out if i chose the right team...

Call Me Crazy Norma

so, yeah...yesterday was a deffinite low point here at work (the 2 and a half hour long ride home and walk through the pouring rain was no treat, either). after all the smoke has cleared, i'm right back where i started, with the promise (*rolls eyes*) that in 2 months Giggly and i will start cross-training; learning each other's desks, working towards swapping.

so coming into the office this morning at 7:15, i made the change back to my old desk. i moved my pictures of Stephen, John and Chris, and my niece. i moved my big Starbucks mug full of pens, the Save the Date Magnet, and my little Bonsai Jade plant. I moved my speakers and my ruler and my 365 Days of Paper Airlplanes desk Calendar that Jenn got me for Christmas. finally, i moved my broken-in chair, back to my old desk.
now, i'm back...at least for then couple of months...i might as well make the best of it.

"And this time will be bigger/And brighter than we knew it/So watch me fly/We all know I/Can do it"~Paramount (Sunset Blvd)

it's Gonna Be One of Those Days

i can tell, already.
there was an over-turned garbage truck on the Garden State Parkway, causing a huge traffic snarl. it took me two hours to get to work. on the way, i was playing the Legend of Zelda on my Gameboy and shut it off without saving, after having played for the entire bus ride.
Cunty asked me what i thought of TNG and i told her point blank that if he had to run the desk by himself today, we'd be in big trouble. i felt bad for about 2 minutes, then he got here, and i realized that it's the truth.
i have this nagging fear that i've wasted the last 4 weeks training him and that i'm going to have to waste another 3 or 4 weeks training someone else...
***mid-afternoon update***
it looks like things with TNG are really up in the air. i feel like a total shit for being honest with Cunty about him. the day is looking much better, though. according to UPS Online Tracking, my MP3 player is waiting for me at home! knowing that and listening to DJ John Michael Presents: Pride (John's 3 disc celebration of Pride 2006) are the only thing pulling me through the day.
***late-afternoon update**
me and my big mouth.
TNG is moving and i'm staying where i am.
the curtian has drawn closed on this drama.
i really did waste the last 4 weeks. now he's going to waste Greasy's time.
so be it.

“Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”~ Robert Heinlein

Jump~ Madonna

this really is one of the more fantastic songs on Confessions From the Dancefloor.

how awesome does she look? i mean aside from the black leather-life-vest-looking-thing.

Welcome back, Madge.

Cher & Tina Turner: Shame Shame Shame

ok, i know cher looks like a stringbean in Bob Mackie, but still. this IS pretty f'n fabulous.

i think i've reached a level of gay, before 8am, that most drag queens don't achieve in a whole day.

thanks John.

Friday**BLINK**Monday

Friday night was wonderful. As planned, we went to Riazor, where stephen presented me with a gorgeous fountain pen with sterling silver accents. we walked around the city for a little while and stopped a little french cafe` on 9th avenue for sweet crepes and coffee, because the Italian cafe we usually go to had a 45 minute wait. afterwatd, we trekked back home and collapsed.

Saturday:
stephen had to work, so i had the day to myself. i hung out with John at the salon for a while, then went to Best Buy and bought my MP3 player (it's coming on Friday!!), cashed my check, picked up the stamps from the framer, a surprise for MS (don't tell her), and bought Stephen his anniversary gift (don't judge. i've been getting home late every day since i started training TNG, it was my 1st opportunity), a Swarovski frog. i ran home, did some laundry and then baked him a pecan pie (he had wanted pie Friday night, but since we had to go to the French instead of Italian cafe` they didn't have it; he was really fiending that pie). after the pie came out of the oven i picked him up at work. we chilled for a little while at home, then met up with my parents for dinner at the diner. we came home, watched some of Grey's Anatomy (Season 2), a little Smallville (Season 5) and All About Eve.

Sunday:
very chill day. i baked some Pumpkin Spice cookies, we went food shopping for the week, and just hung about. Stephen replanted the garden. sometime in the early afternoon, Erin called to let me know that she and her husband wouldn't be able to make our wedding because his brother just got engaged and are getting married the same day. i'm not happy...i'm actually really bummed. i understand it's his brother's wedding. they have to go to that. it still leaves me disappointed.

"I'll admit I may have seen better days, but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut"~ All About Eve (Bette Davis)

Stick it In Yer Ear Pt. 2

i'm 99% certain that i've found the MP3 player i want, the Creative Zen Vision M. it's everything i'm looking for in an MP3 player:

• it holds 30 GB (vs the 20GB i have now)
• it gets about the same amount of battery life
• it's 2 oz lighter than what i have now
• it's smaller than what i have now
• it's already compatible with all the software and file types i have from my "old" player.
• i can create playlists on the player itself
• it's adorable (and comes in this gorgeous shade of blue!)
• it's on sale at Best Buy
• it's not an iPod (i dunno why that's important, but it is)

"If God is a DJ/Life is a dance floor/Love is the rhythm/You are the music/If God is a DJ/Life is a dance floor/You get what you're given/its all how you use it"~God is a DJ (Pink)

I F'n Love You

today is mine and Stephen's 3 year anniversary (and a year till the wedding). he's meeting me in the city after work where we'll go to the spot of our 1st date. it was three years today (2 weeks after our 1st date) that we became "official"; we agreed not to see anyone else. i'm also pretty sure it's the 3rd anniversary of when i told him i loved him. in case you've never heard the story, it went like this:

we had been talking on the phone and were just about to say good bye...

S: i'll call you later?
D: yeah, sure. call me later.
S: ok...bye.
D: i love you. FUCK! SHIT! um...i mean...yeah. i hadn't meant to say that right now...i mean...well i do love you...but..um...well...yeah. wow.
S: ...well, i love you too...
D: y'do?
S: yes. i do.
D: um..ok..then call me later?
S: sure. i love you.
D: i love you too.

Romance at it's finest, folks.

"Clouds drift away/when they see you/Rain wouldn't dare/to fall near you here/Miracles happen/when you're around/Somehow the grass is much greener/Rivers flow faster and cleaner/Being with you/no matter where/sunlight breaks through/and suddenly there's/A bluer sky/whenever you're around/You always bring/a bluer sky/a brighter day"~ Miracles (the Pet Shop Boys)

I'm Sure These Are Completely Unrelated

Leo:Though it will be hard, you've got to stay calm and keep yourself from losing it when things get weird today. If you can keep it together, things will start to get really good really soon.

so, i had a dream last night that the big boss (we'll call him Zeus, since that's who he reminds me of when he's on a tirade) called me into the office and proceeded to scream at me beacuse TNG is still not trained properly. he wanted to know how it was possible that after three weeks he still doesn't know anything, and why i didn't go over Cunty and Brainy's heads and tell him, directly, what a terrible job i think TNG is doing. in the dream i got so angry and frustrated that i started to cry, which made Zeus yell louder and me get more frustrated.

How (Hot Is It)

Ah...October in New York City.
it should be cool...crisp...like lettuce; allowing me to flaunt the fabulous new denim jacket i got at Old Navy ($29 on sale). the leaves should be turning all those gorgeous colors that i can't see: brown, orange, red, ochre! it should look like the cover of When Harry Met Sally, and make you wanna sing Louis Armstrong or Ella Fitzgerald while wearing corduroy, falling in love and sipping cider, mulled wine or a Hot Toddie (not that i know what a Hot Toddie is, but it sounds autumnal, doesn't it). instead, it's balmy and gross out.

welcome Indian Summer.

it's 80 degrees today. the air is humid and putrid; the smell in the subway is absolutely apalling. my gorgeous new jacket is stuffed in my bag, wrinkled like Bob Dole's scrotum. i'm an absolute mess in the heat (as you may recall), and this wave is no exception. it's unatural and unfair. clearly the engineering department missed the memo about the heatwave, 'cause there's hardly any AC on today. maybe it's the heat, or maybe it's TNG, but i'm cranky and sweaty and i want to go home and take a nap.

"I am calling you/I will answer too/That means I offer my love to you/If you refuse it I will be blue/And waiting all alone"~Indian Love Call (Oscar Hammerstein)

Hey Mr. DJ Put a Record On, I Wanna Dance With My Non-Legally Recognized Life Partner Pt.4

i got a call from Tess last night. Remember Tess? she was just perky and fabulous as the last time she and i had spoken (she refered to Stephen as my fiance` and i wanted to hug her throught the phone). Anyhoo...her husband will be DJing our Commitment Ceremony! she's sending out the contract and stuff today; we should be getting them by Thursday. i gotta say...i'm really psyched.that's another weight off my mind.

so, now the Commitment Ceremony shopping listlooks like this:

• Catering Hall
• Celebrant
• DJ
• Photographer
• Favors
• Florist
• Tuxes
• Honeymoon

next is a photographer. i'm a little daunted by this prospect. what do you look for when choosing one? what's the price range people usually pay? how does one judge someone's ability to take wedding photos?

"Take it on my good side, don’t wanna be on my bad side"~Snapshot (RuPaul)

TNG...the Saga Continues

2 more weeks.
that's how long i must suffer this fool. by suffer i mean tutor. i can't deal. really though...it's been 2 weeks and he still doesn't get it. he still comes in after 8 and can't finish his reports alone. i've taken half the workload, but it doesn't matter.
the meeting never happened. i was told that the "situation" would be reviewed at the end of 2 weeks. till then it's baby steps toward full operation of my desk. that means 2 more weeks of

answering questions about things we covered the 1st two weeks

keeping one eye on my screen and one on his.

watching him come in after 8 and go to lunch for 45 minutes

2 finger typing.

"Ev'ry little trait, however small/Makes my very flesh begin to crawl/With simple utter loathing/There's a strange exhilaration/In such total detestation/It's so pure and strong!/Though I do admit it came on fast/Still I do believe that it can last/And I will be loathing/Loathing you/My whole life long!"~ What is This Feeling (Wicked: Original Broadway Cast)

Weight a Minute

John came over yesterday, just for a brief visit, and in the course of conversation told me that i look like i'd lost weight. i can't think of a nicer compliment.

i've always been...fat. i was a cherubic little kid, a husky teenager, and rubenesque young man. it runs in my family: my mom's heavy, my dad's heavy and my brother is heavy. we come from big people. big, olive barrell toting, wine stomping, macaroni/mozzarella/lamb/tiramisu eating, people. like most fat kids, i was teased by my peers. no shock there. the summer after my senior year of college, i got mono and lost a ton of weight. i dropped from a size 36 jeans down to a 30. i was about 165 lbs. even then i felt that i looked a bit chubby. gradually, i gained it some of it back, i held steady at 180. then i met stephen.

over the last 3 years, i've gained about 30 lbs. why? we love food. we love food in ways that are clearly unhealthy (10 lbs a year? hello?). as i've mentioned, stephen is a phenomonal cook and when we met, he wooed me with his culinary creations. at the time i was living with john and chris, and deffinitely not eating well. by the time stephen and i met, i would've given my left arm for a good meal (there's only so many Oodles of Noodles one can eat in a week). he had me at Chicken Picatta. since then, i've become incredibly more sedintary: six months of unemployment, desk job vs running around a busy retail store, nightly DVD marathons vs Barracuda and Colloseum 4 times a week. mind you, i was never...ever what anyone would dare to call "active", but now i moved around less, i'd gather dust. i'm shocked that i've only gained 10 lbs a year in the last 3. the way we eat, i should be 250 lbs.

anyway, hearing John tell me i look like i've lost weight really made me happy. ironically, i'm not really trying as hard as i should. Stephen's on Weight Watchers and by default, so am i. not that i'm counting points or anything,. i rarely eat at work (2 cups of coffee are all the sustanance i need thank-you-very-much); i just eat what he does when we're home. i don't have the time or patience to calculate the point values for a sandwich or piece of pizza. i give him a tremendous amount of credit for sticking with the program (he's lost about 25 lbs in the last 3 months, and looks fantastic). somehow, i've lost 11. **shrug**

i hope this trend continues. the wedding is a year away and i'd like nothing more than to be able to get into a gorgeous 3 button, 41 regular tuxedo with a white vest and tie.