This is your chance to vent. Go on ..have a good moan about something..better here than some other thread ( been there done that). If something is really bothering you & you just need to get it out..you can get it out right here.

I posted this in the random thoughts thread but I'll re-post it here in a more suitable location....

I've greatly reduced my calorie intake, I'm not eating past 6 at night, walking/running 4 to 5 miles a day, drinking loads of water, no processed sugary foods, & I've been doing this for 2 weeks & I've lost a measly 2 lbs....*frustrated* I only want to lose 10lbs...why isn't it coming off ?? 15 years ago it would be gone by now. OH..& I'm ALSO taking thyroid supplements to speed up my metabolism (recommended by health store guy intead of taking caffeine laden diet pills). Feeling very frustrated right now....oh & HUNGRY.

Good thread. I'm sure it'll see lots of traffic.

I'm very worried -- both of my daughters have medical problems. Tomorrow the eldest is having a gastroscopy and the youngest is having ultrasound.

Eldest has a disease called achalasia (to do with the esophagus) and the gastroscopy is to make sure there's nothing else like cancer going on. She will need surgery to try and fix the problem but there's no guarantee that it will do so.

Youngest, as well as suffering migraines daily for the past year (meds haven't helped) has lump(s) close to her lower spine. The ultrasound is to see exactly where and what size they are. She will most likely need surgery to remove and do a biopsy on them.

Needed to get that off my chest.

Elliottcrazy,
I'd skip the thyroid health food stuff. Go to the gym and lift weights. You'll turn flab to muscle. Your clothes will fit great. Riding the stationary bike will reshape your hips and remove any saddle bags if you have those. Aerobics around your coffee table will also help. Try dancing to www.thestargirls.com get their cd. My kids love it. We dance around the coffee table every night with maracas.
Good luck

Canadianfan,
My prayers are with you and your daughters that everything will be ok.

Most of you know me as the quiet old guy. I rarely say anything about anything (well, except when I wrote about Elliott last year). Anyway, something happened the other day that I'm not very proud of. I thought I knew myself better than what I did.

What happened was, I was playing my guitar on stage during practice (a fairly expensive guitar--several thousand dollars worth). Our drummer (who can't play the guitar) has this habit of grabbing other people's guitars and playing them w/o asking. He especially loves to play it (badly) over the PA system. I had asked him several times to NOT play my guitar before a set because I always end up having to re-tune it when he gets done. To top it off, his fingers are sweaty and always leaves a residue on my strings.

This particular day, I brought a spare guitar (a $600 guitar) for him to play and left it off-stage and told him if he wanted to play a guitar, he was welcome to use that one--I had brought it specifically for him to use (or bang around on--as they say).

When we got to the break, he came up behind me and purposely whacked the guitar I was playing with his fingernail--making a rather loud sound on the soundboard and in the process scratching the front surface of the guitar. To top it off--he laughed.

I was a bit miffed to say the least and after dropping a few surprise F-bombs, I told him twice that if he ever touched my guitar again, I would break both his hands. I repeated it twice to make sure he heard me in that do-you-understand-me tone of voice. After which, he stormed-off the stage to sulk.

My rant/vent is this --- why do some people think everything they do is funny even when it's not. I apologized for saying what I did about 10 minutes later after I had cooled off--but he was "hurt." OMG--I could just scream.

Am I mad, sad, or PMS-ing? You make the call.

My oldest son left for college today and didn't wait for me to get home to say goodbye. OK so I will see him Saturday at a picnic....it still made me mad.

1. Elliottcrazy...you are probably just gaining muscle which is denser than fat...so you have lost inches just not pounds.

2. Avivadove...I am so very sorry. I hope it all goes very well for your girls.

3. Mcornelio.. the guy is a jerk....not worth your time worrying about it. Rub some ketchup on his drum sticks and see if he starts yellin. :)~

Canadian Fan - I'm sure everything will be fine with your daughters but I can imagine how stressful that must be for you. Keep us posted.

Aviadove - good advice & I know you are right about the weights, problem is I'm only 5'3" & my legs are naturally a little chunky & muscley so when I work weights I bulk up quite quickly which is the opposite of what I want. Even with the walking & bit of running I can see my calf muscles swelling. It's frustrating because I want long lean muscles. I love the statonary bike idea..I do have little saddlebags...& the maracas!! what a laugh..I'll check out the website you gave me.

Mcornelio - you were not wrong to be upset..that man was out of line & you were right to call him on it. Sorry but he had it coming if you ask me. Tell me....it felt really good to drop those F-Bombs didn't it??? :eyebrows:

jobridge - I have 2 boys & have decided to have very LOW expectations when it comes time for college. Men just don't get how those little things, like waiting to say goodbye, are important to us. It's not personal..they are just wired differently. ( I probably shouldn't generalize this way..there are senstive men out there).

Why do people have to take things so freaking seriously? So I post a bulletin on myspace just kidding around then people have to twist it around so i come out looking like a total ass... grrr...

Mine isn't bad but....

I keep gaining weight....I used to be so small, and I just keep gaining. So I'm gonna go see a nutritionist to work things out. Because I can't keep food out of my mouth.

I failed my drivers test by four points. FOUR POINTS!!!!!!! I have been practicing for ages, and I feel like a total failure.

I went to dye my hair I wanted two front streaks an reddish brown and the rest of the hair a very dark brown. Well I got it done on Tuesday and it came out too light. So the lady had me come back in today to darken it. It came out black with hot pink streaks. I felt horrible, and wanted to cry. It's childish I know, but I'm starting college in a couple days with hot pink/jet black hair as a nursing major. And I'm afraid if I dye it anymore it will kill my hair.

All I want to do is complain.

I'm sorry I had to get this all out.

I hope the rest of you guys get your things worked out, and that those with family and health issues, I wish you extremely well.

My neices just recently moved to Chicago with their mother, who, after sixteen years of marriage to my brother, decided to "find herself," which included an online affair with a guy, then told my brother she wanted a divorce. She's only met the online guy ten times in person at the very most, but she's moved out to Chicago to live with him. The girls have only met him TWICE. She actually decided to move out to Chicago before the girls had even met him.

My brother didn't fight it because the mother had convinced the girls that it's all going to be fun, so they wanted to go. She's moving them from anyone they've ever known; all their family and friends. They are going from living in a very laid-back beach town, going to private school there, to going to a public school in downtown Chicago. They are almost eleven and thirteen.

I don't think my neices fully understand what this is going to mean. I'm so worried for their welfare, especially because their mom PLUS this new guy are both going to be working swing shifts, so they will be alone from the time they get home from school to the time they will have to put themselves to bed.

I can't imagine what my brother is going through, to have your wife leave you and then take your children away from you. It's breaking my mother's heart, because she has been so close to them since the day they were born.

My selfish hope is that the kids won't like it there and will want to come back. My really selfish hope is that they will give this new guy he**, because they really are quite a handful. I don't envy him the job of trying to help raise them. Come to think of it, what does that make him? The live-in-father? I have no idea how he figures himself into their upbringing.

What kind of guy meets someone online who is married and with two kids and wants her to come out and live with him? And what kind of person did she turn into to actually DO it?

OK, now I feel a little better. Venting is good; I like this thread!

Berkana, I'm so sorry about your hair. I've had the hair nightmare also; it's no fun. Do you like hats? They tend to help. Take yourself hat shopping. Sorry about the drivers test, too. I failed my first one by three points, then passed the second. It's very common.

mcornelio, I would be soooo mad if that happened to me. He had no right.

CanadianFan, I will say a prayer for your daughters.

that's wretched Wee...I really feel for you.

Wee,
I'm so sorry about your brother's situation. I think he should sue for custody. Given the circumstances, he might win. Maybe somebody on here is a lawyer who could comment. That boyfriend guy sounds like trouble for your nieces. Your sister-in-law sounds very unstable. She could have at least waited to get a divorce.

Mike,
You're too nice. You should send that guy a bill for damaging your guitar. No wonder you're an Elliott fan. Nice attracts nice.

As far as weight loss, fitness and good health go, there's no magic pill or magic treatment. It seems silly to me to pay Weight Watchers for you to loose or gain weight. Pre packaged food like Jenny Craig doesn't seem like a life long plan.

The way to stay trim and fit for life is to exercise, walk, run, swim, lift weights, kick box, yoga, aerobics, etc....Do what you like so you keep on doing it.

Eat a balanced diet, don't over eat. Cut back or cut out fried foods. Eat smaller portions. If you're going to eat twinkies, eat just one, very slowly and put the other one in the freezer for another day. Trade potato chips for high protein, low fat soy chips. My kids and I love Trader Joe's Barbecue soy chips. If you slip up one day, don't be so hard on yourself. Just take a walk and be more careful the next time. When my clothes get tight, I refuse to buy a bigger size. I just cut out all sweets for a week and walk more. I'm 44 and I can still wear my size 5's from over 20 years ago. This plan really works!

Elliott's music in an ipod is great to listen to on a bike or while walking or jogging.

Good luck to everybody with everything.

Why is it the quiet ones always get "tried & tested" anyway?
I'm NOT outspoken in the very least, but I'd consider myself a somewhat reserved person that speaks when spoken to. (Except in Mike's case, of course, who's a person you'd want to introduce yourself to!) My case is such that for the 2nd time this year now, my 6yr old has had a seizure that nearly was fatal, and because he already is a roller coaster ride of emotion, it's pretty scary not knowing what may be going on with him! He's already been through ALOT since birth, although he was born NORMALLY. RSV, pneumonia for 2 Christmases, anaphylitic (sp.) shock to motrin, and now THIS! It's frazzling my every nerve! The next step past PMsing!

your post is humbling to say the least. I've been riding high on my fleeting moment with Elliott..but this puts things into perspective. I'm sure your little lovely will be fine. Hang in there.

No matter how nice everyone in here is .....I would encourage them to be strong aggressive advocate for the children mentioned here.

1. Talk to the neices...make sure they have a plan if abuse starts to take place.
2. Seizures in kids is not uncommon. Just keep asking those doctors questions and make them listen to you.


--the hair can be fixed...go to a really good salon and pay the money one time.
--ignore people who don't get your humor
--loosing weight it terribly hard for me. The older I get the harder it is. the more I think about it the more I gain. :)

Yes.

something like that happened to my cousin a few years ago. She wanted it fixed so bad, she stripped her hair of ALL color and had it dyed all over again. It was EXPENSIVE, but it worked.

Elliottcat..do you mind me asking what the stylist did initially to the 2 pieces of hair that you wanted a reddish brown. Did she bleach or strip it first then color over it??

Welcome aboard, jobridge!

The neices have my cell and I've told them to call me day or night. I actually have the feeling that this situation will not last for long. Just little hints here and there.

Today's gripe: This year, my hormones decided to go haywire. I really thought I was going through menopause for a little while, and I'm only 36! I know it can happen. No hot flashes though, but all kinds of things. In May my doc and I did something to try to control it, and the symptoms all got WORSE. Now we're doing something else, and it's better, but I still have all these symptoms. I have to give the new thing some time to work. In the meantime, 2007 has been one big PMS!

Eyes, I'm so sorry your little one has had so much troubles. I will say a prayer.

That's true, if you get your hair stripped of all color, then color it, it will work.

This is turning into the vent/support/advice thread! I hope everyone takes the advice in the spirit it is given--we just want to be helpful to each other. I know that's how I've taken what people have said about my neices--thank you.

Wee, I'm in my late thirties too & feel HOT all the time but I live in FL so it's hard to get a true read on that. Since I've been taking supplements like dmae, Alpha Lipoic Acid, fish oils, Acorbic Palmitate & complete multi vitamin I feel pretty stable with my hormones. I still crave a bit of chocolate every month but no crazy emotional roller coaster rides. Of course staying away from sugar & caffeine plays a huge part aswell but I'm sure you know that already. Maybe the big 'M' just hasn't hit me yet...
I'm sorry 2007 has been rough for ya ;)

Wee-moggie --- so very many alarm bells instantly went off in my head!! IMO, this guy was trolling for prey and that woman is bedazzled; she will be no protection for them at all. Through my ex in-laws, I learned much about child predators (not my girls Thank God). So good that you’re standing by them.

Eyess2Nkiss --- Poor little tyke. My heart goes out to you both, Stay stong.

Mcornelio – Actually, I’m amazed at your restraint. He offered much provocation for mayhem! Hopefully he’ll have learned a lesson before someone puts the boots to him!

Elliottcrazy – don’t discount your joy over your Elliott moment. Those are the things that help people stay sane.

Berkana – I’ve been up and down so many times in my life. Right now I’m probably 50 lbs. overweight so obviously I have no great advice to give. But AvivaDove offers some very good suggestions – I may be inspired to try again! If only I could remember where I left my will power!!

Welcome jobridge – Your son is off on a huge adventure and I’m sure never realized how much you would miss that moment. The bird leaving the nest has his eye on the sky!

ElliottCat – What a bummer. From excitement at new colour to horror at new colour!
#1 stripped her hair 10 years ago and ended up with fluorescent yellow hair. It was so frightful it was funny. I regret not snapping a photo! A quick trip to the drugstore (we had to dye it twice) restored a normal looking colour.

Estryastar – while it’s a pee off that your humour was misunderstood and twisted, there are people who delight in malice. Ignore them as much as possible. I’m sure your real friends understand where you’re coming from.

Thank you for the good wishes and prayers. Definitive diagnosis today for #1 – she will be having surgery. Good news is that there are no tumors! #2 is back to the search for an answer. Ultrasound showed no lumps (which is very good) but leaves the huge question of what it was that 2 doctors as well as myself and #2 could feel. And if there’s nothing there, what is it that’s causing her so much pain? We’re still working on control of her migraines. This is going to be a long haul, but I will not give up the search.

Canadian Fan..your daughters are very lucky to have a mum like you in their corner. :lotsolove:

Love this thread...right now I am not mad, sad, frustrated or PMSing...but I have been most of those things pretty much everyday for a while now...work wise anyway...


Hang in there with your attempts at weight loss...don't lose faith...2lbs...is 2lbs closer to your goal...I lost 70 lbs in the last year and a half...and kept it off. When people ask what the secret is, I tell them there is no secret...smaller portions, exercise, and eating right...that's it. Changing attitudes about food is key. In the beginning, I was always hungry...but with time your body adapts...plus you can find healthy alternatives to snack on when you are feeling hungry. Frustration is part of the deal...so just embrace it. Somedays will be good and somedays will be bad, but just remember to keep your focus on your goal...which is 8 lbs now not 10!!! And if you slip up...no biggie...the next meal is just another opportunity to do better. And no beating yourself up! 1 to 2lbs is what you should be losing if you are doing it the right way! You are on the right track. Consider it the Elliott Yamin diet!! Slow and steady...the way he has handled his career...it works...he's almost on top of the charts...and so will you!

Rick...I LOVE that!!! The slow & steady diet 'E' diet. You are so clever. :ilikeit:
...& congrats on YOUR weight loss..that's phenomenal. You must feel really good & have a lot more energy...which I'm sure came in handy on your vacaton with your neices.

Rick, I love. I, too, lost alot of weight over the last two years and that's just the way I handled it. Not easy, but the best way to keep it off. Now I have quit smoking which was my goal after I lost the weight. Talk about a hard thing to do, but its been almost 3 weeks now and I am determined. I am sure I will gain some of the weight back, but at least I'll be smoke free!! EC, you can do it - just like Rick said - slow and steady - just like Elliott!!

Good for you, posttime! I've heard quitting smoking is extremely tough. Good on you for doing it!

It looks like I was a little bit quick to complain about the hair, moreso because it's not what I wanted. But I gave it a couple days (And of course a few compliments from a member of the opposite sex. Hee hee.) And it's really grown on me, plus it looks really neat when you pair the hair with clothes similar to the fifties and sixties inspired clothing. I really like it a lot.

And great job Rick, and Post! That's amazing. Yeah my problem isn't exercise at all. I dance just about at least 3 hours a day. If its summer it's usually around 5 hours. And I've actually instead of gaining lost two pounds. I think it was just a rough patch. I only have about 20 lbs more to go.

Just venting: Pigged out yesterday & today for no reason at all. Chocolate, apple dumplings, white bread..you name it I ate it. Pretty disgusted with myself. Didn't walk...spent way too much time on PC. My ass is spreading as I type this. :bricks:
I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Just wish i had a little more self discipline. Will start afresh tomorrow.

*sigh* This is going to be kind of long, so be prepared...
Ok well I have a friend, I've known her for a little more than two years, and after only a month of knowing each other we became best friends. I mean we were inseparable, and all we needed was each other to have fun. Then she moved away, but we still stayed best friends from 45 minutes away. But after a year things started getting bad - we were constantly arguing where despite the fact I said more mean things (I was awful ><) I got hurt more. I'm always jealous of her - everything, her perfect family, how thin she is, how she doesn't care what anybody thinks, the fact that she says stuff to me and it hurts me way more than if I say something to her. It sounds like normal girl stuff, but this is the only friend I get this way with.
To be honest, it kinda scares me. Now that we've drifted apart some, I feel almost deserted - I still have friends, but only 3 really close ones, because I spent so much time with her I pushed others away. Then it goes back to the fact I've never been super good with people, because I can never hold my tongue and just kind of have anger issues.
I think that's because of my dad, he's kind of well, verbally abusive. Not all the time, but when he gets started it's bad so I think that's some of it.
I've only been friends with one or two people longer than 6 years, and normally my really close friends drift away after like 4 (though my best friend I've known for 8) Sometimes I wonder if I'd be better off without friends, but people like that always end up crazy and stuff.
And actually, contrary to how I sound, I'm popular - but I still feel alone and stuff... so um, advice?

[[And don't say therapy or something, because my mom is a social worker and I kinda have that built in, but this is just teenage stuff]]
EDIT: Oh and um, it's kind of like that time of month now so I'm more moody than usual ^^;;

Thanks, Wee - I must admit, other than childbirth, it is the hardest thing I've ever done!! :rotfl:

Hi Estrayastar, sorry you're missing your friend sweetie.
Teenage angst...character building stuff.
My advice ( & take it loosely because I'm just as 'moody' as you right now ;)
is to focus on your friendships that make you happy. Your last friendship sounded toxic & not healthy so it's probably best that she's 45 mins away.
You have 3 close friends..that is a nice safety net to have as far as friendships go. Don't beat yourself up..these things happen sometimes. Just try & learn from the mistakes you think you may have made & try not to repeat.
If all else fails...there's always chocolate :drool:

And etrain!! Think of it as an etrain diet!! This thread anyway, thanks elliottcrazy!!! And thanks to all well wishers, and God Bless everyone here!!!

Thank you =]
I guess me and her aren't going to be friends anymore, but it's for the better (this isn't because of what you said, it's just how things played out today). You know, we'll still talk and stuff but it'll be different if you get what I mean.

Estrayastar, invest in those close friends that you have, and you'll have them for years to come! I have some of those, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. What is more valuable than a good friend? Very few things.

I can't write about my vent yet (I would be breaking confidences) but it has to do with the fact that I am very fortunate to have good, close friends around me, because they treat me better than some family members treat my hubby and me. I'm sure others can relate.

I'm only venting some chuckle I had upon first seeing elliottcrazy's new avatar: being that my deskspace is always surrounded in little flying bugs (because of plants), as I was looking at my screen I instantly thought there was a bug running around on it! And now, just as I came here to post, a "real" bug landed on the bug avi, as if it were attracted to it or something!! :lol:

I had the same thought! Bugs creep me out and I couldn't get rid of it! :rotfl:

I'm a one-woman PMS'ing machine right now!

I failed my drivers test for the second time. And got a berating in public for it.

I failed my drivers test many times. I took lessons for about 6 years, 6 teachers. They each never came back. I spent thousands of dollars. I drove crooked, went to a neurologist. He told me I have severe Attention Deficiet Disorder( ADD). I will never be able to drive without meds( amphetamines, like ritalin). I refuse those meds, so I'm forced to walk miles a day, walking kids to and from school in bad weather, to and from the supermarket, bank, shopping, etc....Walking in the hot sun with grocery bags.

People often say,''I saw you walking way across town yesterday....'' Nobody EVER offers me a ride.

I'm the neighborhood freak show, a 44 year old suburban housewife, mother of 2 who can't drive, who walks incredible distances.

On the plus side, It's a very nice neighborhood. I think of my poor mother who spent her life walking through a terrible, dangerous neighborhood.

& you're in good shape!!
& you are NOT polluting our planet with carbon emmissions
& you are saving lives because it sounds like you would be a danger to society driving a car... :rotfl: (JK)

I'm so tired of people who perpetuate double standards. They only serve to further degrade the human condition by being unkind and petty. It is wrong to treat people unequally in the exact same situations.