Read this Post! Win a Pair of Kazoos!
Musings on a snowy, wet day in the DMV:
God must have heard my call to help me change some stuff. He’s taken away my cravings for candy and other junk. No more late night ice cream. I’ve also given up soda and other drinks, even Gatorade, which contains high fructose corn syrup. I’m drinking more water than I have in years.
Breakfast is part of my routine now. All I need is fruit and yogurt, and I’m good.
My weight is dropping like a truant student’s grades. On Jan. 3, I was about 250. Today the scale has me at 235. I’m on a roll. But I know me. I can get excited about something and then lose interest. I’ve got to think “one day at a time” in order to stick with this.
Also, I’m starting some weight training. The building in which I work has a workout room, so why not take advantage? I plan twice-a-week workouts. If I keep with it one day at a time, old Pro could be chiseled like granite by the summer. OK, not quite like that, but I hope to be in much better shape.
It was turning 40 that prompted me to finally give up drugs. Now looking at 50 has spurred me to get in better physical shape. Who knows what might happen at 60. Maybe I’ll actually become wealthy! (I’m gonna try to do that much earlier, however.) For all this, thanks be to God.
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I’m using TurboTax to enter my 2008 tax information. After entering mine and The Spouse’s W-2s, it’s showing we owe Uncle Sam a few hundred bucks. Yikes! This is after getting a sizable refund last year. I haven’t yet entered data such as mortgage interest and property taxes, which should ease that bite.
The upshot is that this traveling back and forth between the DMV and the Philly-South NJ, paying both rent and a mortgage without a salary high enough to support such an arrangement, is killing us. But I don’t know what to do. With my weird resume’, finding a suitable gig in the Philly area is like seeking the diamond among cut glass.
So the only thing to do is to try to find something higher paying here in the DMV. Or find some sort of side hustle.
We’re not selling the house in NJ anytime soon; that would only be like twisting the knife even harder, ‘cause we’d take a loss. We’re waiting until at least 2011, when we hope the market turns around.
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I’m sure hoping this Master’s degree program in Information Systems to which I’ve been accepted will be worth going into hock for another $24K or so. Does anyone out there have experience in this discipline? If so, can you tell me what I can expect during and after the program?
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Now time for some fun. Here’s an old-school music trivia question: What 1970s funk band recorded a song that featured the prominent use of kazoos? What was the title? First to answer both questions correctly via the comments section will win, well, a couple of kazoos, courtesy of old Pro. Seriously. The answer will be in a future post.
WOW!!! You’re doing it. Not only are you losing weight but you’re extending your life. You’re getting healthier!
Thanks, Hostess. Coming from you that means a lot. I’ll keep ya’ll posted on my progress. Yesterday, I did my first workout in a long time. Today I’m sore. LOL!!!
Comment by Hostess — January 28, 2009 @ 2:53 am
Congrats on the weight loss and determination to get in shape. Good for you for ditching the HFCS too. I just read yesterday that it has mercury in it! Ugh.
A side hustle is never a bad idea and especially in this economy. Just don’t stretch yourself too thin - work, school, getting fit, family time…
Thanks, Savvy. I was drinking Gatorade like it was water, thinking it was OK until I read the ingredients. And there it was, the first item: high fructose corn syrup. I guess it’s OK when you’re really burning calories, but not when you’re sedentary. As far as the side hustle, I’m still thinking about what I can do.
Comment by savvy — January 28, 2009 @ 10:04 am
congratulations on your fitness goals and on the wonderful progress you’ve made so far! that’s awesome!!!!! i’m proud of you, homie.
stay away from ANY drinks other than water if you can help it! even 100% fruit juices have a lot of calories per serving, and it’s easy to gulp down several hundred calories that way - calories that could be spent on a meal. it will quickly sabotage your efforts. plus they’re expensive - so you can save a few bucks too by sticking to H2O!
side hustle: you could always sell kazoos.
btw, i have no idea the answer to your trivia question. i could look it up, but that would be cheating huh?
Thanks, Dfly. And scarfing down that Ciao Bella ice cream at $4 a pint also was denting the already dented wallet. Do you know a good kazoo supplier? LOL! And yes, you can look up the answer to my trivia question if you’d like.
Comment by DflySoul — January 28, 2009 @ 12:28 pm
wow, happy for you on the healthy outlook, and you make me feel so young, althogh i am stressed about turning 30 in a few months:)
well, i wasn’t born yet during the Kazoos era, so no idea what u r on about?
Thanks, Shazza. When I turned 30, I bought a CD player. Actually two. I still have them. One also has a turntable. You know, to play those large vinyl CDs called records. LOL!! I linked to the Wikipedia entry on kazoos, which have been around for awhile. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but check it out. The song I’m thinking of is the only funk song I know of where the band used kazoos.
Comment by Shazza — January 28, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
You’re all over the place, huh? Congrats on the weight loss, and I wish you the best with grad school.
Thanks, A. Yes, I’m all over the place. That’s how my mind is working these days.
Comment by A — January 28, 2009 @ 1:06 pm