So, right now I’m listening to the audio book “You, On a Diet.” This book, of course, promises to be the next big thing in diets.

God help me. I’ve also just read The Low GI Diet, and last year I read “French Women Don’t Get Fat” and I’ve been on Weight Watchers about 5 times.

I don’t understand why I always fail. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong all the time. I can’t be a millitant person with food. Its not like I eat Oreos all day.

So, back to the diet book. I have no idea. I keep thinking if keep reading about being a successful weight loss person, I’ll suddenly be one. I have stripped my GI foods down and cut out most bread, potatoes, corn, snacky food and sweets. 

Blah, diets suck. Its like when I smoked a pack a day, I’d fantasize about not being addicted. It took me five years of attempting to quit every six months to finally break the bond. A good friend of mine lost over 100 pounds on diet. How does that happen? How can you make radical changes like that. It’s like the man who smokes three packs a day, throws out his cigaretts and never goes back. I guess that’s not me.

Tomorrow, my husband and I have a tune up. At least that’s how I’m referring to it.

My company provides three free sessions of marriage counseling via an employee assistance program. During our pre-marriage counseling our pastor said that every married couple should get a “tune up” every five years; be it counseling or a marriage retreat.

We’ve been married five years and now we have a one-year old, and to be honest the marriage has been running a little bit hard, even after an oil change. The alignment is off, but we’ve been driving with it like this for so long, you forget how nice smooth it feels when things are straightened out.

I feel like, the idea of a marriage is evolving. In the past people didn’t marry for love, and then we married for love but stayed out of duty. In the 60s and 70s people started ditching their marriages instead of looking for long-term solutions. Then in the 80s, 90s and 00s, people started putting off the age they got married hoping that would aid a lasting relationship.

I read the other day that most divorces end because of communication problems. Lately, I admit that I can only see things my way. I don’t know if I’m stuck in a rut, or too tired or too stubborn. I think an outside council could help me see another point of view and hopefully, better get my point across.

When I was dating my college boyfriend he had an older Sunbird. We were poor and he really neglected that car. One weekend we took it on a 900 mile drive and ended up stranded in the middle of

Wilcox, Arizona (BFE) with no transportation, three hours from Tucson and the one repair shop didn’t have the means to fix it. Needless to say, we ended up getting into Tucson and then abandoning the car in Wilcox. We used a rental car to get home.

I see a lot people who run their marriages into the ground, not care for them, and then abandon them when they reach their own version of

Wilcox, AZ. I grew up in an environment where “shrinks” were frowned upon and you either left or you stuck it out, as is. God forbid, any tools were used or aid to try and brighten the situation.

The more you invest in your car, the more maintence you’re willing to perform on it. And I don’t know about you, but I want my marriage to be a Mercedes Benz. I may delay the oil change, on occasion, but I won’t miss the tune up.

Yesterday I was enjoying the nice warm weather and planting some mums in my backyard.

My backyard boarders a two-lane road with a speed limit that is suppose to be 45 mph.

Suddenly, I heard a loud pop and constant squeeling of tires. I saw, over my fence, a mini-van go reeling out of control smashing into a street sign, clipping off the metal sign and then hitting a small tree, sending the top of it flying. I thought for a moment it might come crashing through our neighborhood fence, it was that close. The mini van finally banked out on the side walk a few houses down.

My husband came rushing out  of the house and jump the fence (an adrenline junky) to see how the people were. After about 10 minutes I called him on his cell.

It was an older couple who didn’t speak English well who experienced a blow out.  They were fine, but quite shook up. He let the use his cell phone to call police and family.

I think its time for a few stop lights to slow down traffic on that street, or we’ll have an episode of COPS relived in our backyard soon.  

I’ve been sleeping for four hours this morning, sick, down with the flu. It reminds me of the Phish song. So in that spirit I give you my favorite Phish song, “The Train Song.” Such a cool song.

Today, at work, our HP printer has announced this:

I am not really computer savvy, but I have determined that since the printer still works, its some form of hack.
Since my husband has been known to hack things I sent a request out to him to figure this puzzle out. Until then, everyone in the office is amused. It reminds me of something they’d do to Dwight on the show “The Office.” I love it. But, I of course want to figure out who did it and how.

Here’ s the best clue I’ve found. If anyone reading this is a computer geek, let me in on how you do this.

http://www.lafferty.ca/files/software/hpcode

P.S. — it was some sort of script sent to the printer. I’d like to be clued in on how to actually do that. What a great thing to do before you quit a job….not that I’m planning on doing that, but I know people who may be.

A friend of my father-in-law sent these amazing shots from Huambo, the capital of Huambo province in Angola, Africa. The photos show the after-math of the 55-day combat that took place in 1993. I was in awe of these photos. Here are just a few to share followed by some of his email about what he saw.

“Tanks, bullet and RPG and mortar holes, house-to-house fighting, incredible amount of ammunitions expended makes me think they were not the best trained shots but it didn’t matter since they had so much ammunition. The “White House” of Jonas Savimbi with two bomb holes through the roof and a huge T62 tank corpse in front, a mansion out in the rural area where it is reputed that executions took place, and two photos from two places where bullet holes that go straight across a wall in a line - signs of an execution. Mine fields - one of the reasons I did not get closer to some of the tanks out away from the road. Quite a sight to see. Amazing that people can do this to each other. See the History Channel’s Blood Diamonds as well - depressing at best. Fred”

I, for one, know very little about most countries in Africa. Until I looked it up on Wikipedia I had no idea bout the history of this area. The pictures tell a story, I think, that invite you to want to find out more.

Just now, I was reading an article on MSN about the “Biggest Moments in Internet History.” And damn, it made me feel old.

I felt old because the first moment (The Lewinsky Story) was ten years ago, the year I finally got my butt out of college. I remember the event vividly because I was a reporter at some stupid small town paper and some little old lady said to me “You look like that Lewinksy girl.”

Granted, I had a black felt hat on, but it was NOT a beret. Plus, I don’t look much like her at all. Then there was the stigma. She’s notorious for blowing the president, after all. I just stood there, mouth agape, staring at the woman. I mean, what the hell do you say to that? Thank you for telling me I look like the country’s “blow job queen.”

I have never looked like this woman…ever!

Anyway, on to the feeling old part. I got out of college at 24…not 22 like most people, so ten years past, I’m starting to feel the age. My husband is friends with our son’s doctor, I ran into my dentist at daycare drop off (her daughter who is 3 goes there, too), and pretty much every other person I encounter in the professional world is about my age. I’m part of the peer group.

Then I thought about the internet in 1998. In 1998 a lot of people were still paying per hour for a slow connection through AOL. It was rare to see a lot of images on the web. My computer was very slow to load a page. I’d probably smash the screen if I had to wait for that kind of load now. But what’s worse, I remember looking at the internet without pictures. That one will make my son laugh when he’s older. Its like my mom telling me that she didn’t see color television, in person, until her neighbors got one. She still recalls how amazing the opening credits of Bonanza looked. 

I need to relax. Sure I’m older. Monica is older. We still look nothing alike. But I still cringe, a little bit, when I see her picture and remember that rude comparison. I should have told that old lady that she looked ”just like Phyllis Diller.” Who’s that, you ask? Oh, just go Google her!

Me vs. Monica circa 2002. Don’t even say it!!!

Starting at 10 a.m. today, our whole office, and probably all of the Denver metro area have begun their battle to get the blessed World Series tickets.

Of course, no one in my office has gotten any. No one that I’ve heard of yet. Stupid scalpers are getting their grubby hands on them all.

Bummer.

I’m posting these because this girl is so darn cute. Nuff said.