Which Side Are You On, Boys?

Okay so, serious about my weight I started at 197 on November 1 and as of my last weigh-in - which was Monday the 3rd of December - I was down to 182.6. I have another weigh-in Monday the 10th (later today) but I don't think I'll see any movement downward from there because I went a little off my watch this weekend. So I don't know what that'll be, but whatever it is it won't be a discouragement. I've still lost well over 10 pounds and am committed to getting this done. I proved to myself over Thanksgiving that even with the holidays I can lose weight. So that was a big boost.

I'm luckier than most because I can make a whole meal out of what most people would just consider a pre-dinner veggie tray. You know, the kind next to the shrimp and the deviled eggs while everyone is still arriving, So it's kind of my secret weapon - I LIKE broccoli and scallions and cherry tomatoes and cauliflower and celery and they carry no points against your diet. And there are plenty of dips to dip them in that won't bust your waistline but still taste awesome. Honey mustard is the best, for me.

I'm still thinking 166 would get rid of my belly and manboobs but at this point 170 might be enough. We'll make that call when we get there. And we WILL get there.

So what else is new now that blogs are dead? Hmmm let's see...

We're late on the November issue of Thrice but it's partially Sandy's fault and partially an artist's fault. poor dave has to continually deal with unreliable, flighty, moody and I don't know what all else-y artist types in putting the final touches to the zine, and we seem to have uncovered a mother lode of touchy, petulant, and downright irresponsible artists. And Hurricane Sandy wiped out the other guy. So we're looking at this week to release the latest. I've already gotten over 25 submissions for the March issue and the submission period only opened up on December 1! Holy farco...

Hmmm what else...

Oh I joined the IWW. Seriously. Why did I do that? Because the older I get the more radical I'm becoming, that's why. And also because the unions as they are right now seem to be kind of dickless on the one hand and coercive even towards their own membership on the other. So I'm a wobbly. Officially with a card and the little dues-paying as well, recognizing from the start that to supplant any branch of the AFL-CIO is pretty improbable. The current IWW is still organizing - and they've done good work agitating the Wal-Mart situation and google the Jimmy Johns workers/IWW as well. Still, I view it as agitation and support. I don't expect anything else out of it. But as I walk into work with my pin, I'll be happy to explain to anybody who asks.

But that's not so much... what else is there... hmmmm...

Oh - the big news! Our littlest granddaughter Sophie had her 1 year birthday on November 30. And she was walking weeks before that and she's a little tornado who won't let her big sister boss her around even though her big sister is 9. That's pretty funny.

Got all your Christmas shopping done? I want to point out that people who bemoan the commercialism of Christmas are missing a broader point. Just remember - Christmas may be a boon to the owners and big shots and all that. But it also means overtime for some people, and seasonal jobs for folks having trouble finding steady work. Then there's the folks who make and print Christmas Cards and wrapping paper. And somebody has to pack all that stuff up so UPS and Fed Ex put on extra workers too. And even if the bulk of all this stuff we buy comes from overseas (a problem that needs fixing big time) there are still guys on freighters and dock workers and truck drivers and railroad people who have to move the stuff all over the country to get into your hot little hands. Christmas may be a big joke - and these "keep Christ in Christmas" people are some of the whiniest bitches I ever heard. I think they just love making believe they're martyrs or something because their personal version of Christianity doesn't jive with what Christ himself had in mind - but it's also jobs and work and fun for kids. So go for it. All out.

How my doin'?