2nd Post

Reading the articles that I mentioned in the last post I published really got me to thinking about the way I eat. I feel that is where most of my weight problems come from because I have more trouble with what I eat and what I do whenever I'm not exercising than actually being in the habit of getting a good work out. I've all ready established that recognizing and controlling cravings is a big problem. I find that I don't eat out of depression, stress or even lonliness, all of which (like most people) I occasionally feel. Instead, I find myself eating not neccessarily out of boredom, but just not knowing what to do with myself. If I see that everything is done that needs to be, I chow down on some kind of comfort food and sit here on the computer, or lately, sit at my friend's house watching her mother.
I do find it harder to stay on an eating plan when there is all sorts of things I shouldn't have still in the house that I can get my hands on, but having those in the house is not a bad thing, its eating them all the time that makes it a bad thing.
I've decided to keep an eating journal to help me determine what changes I need to make, although I all ready think I know mostly what needs to be done. It won't hurt to have that there to help me see if there are less obvious changes I need to be making.
I'm also going to find something to do when I'm at my friend's house... sitting all day is not much help. I've started gaining weight back because of staying over there doing absolutely nothing for most of the day. I don't think the pay is worth that.
So now that I know a little bit more about what needs to be done, I should have fewer problems fixing this. ... old habits are hard to break though...

Oh come on.... Veggies?

We all know they're good for you and that we're supposed to eat a pretty good amount of them, but according to an article I found at www.msnbc.com/id/18079934/ people are eating a lot less vegetables than they were 20 years ago. This is a problem that most Americans face, as I believe the article says only 11% of the population gets enough vegetables in their diet.
When I first read this article, my first thought was that no one eats vegetables because they don't like the taste, and because they would rather reach for those comfort foods we are all guilty of having. I ended up looking at another article from msnbc that somewhat surprised me by what I learned there (www.msnbc.com/id/18057874/). The author tells us how its better to eat solid vegetables instead of drinking vegetable juice basically because the juice does not contain as much nutrients as the real thing. The juice is good for you, but don't rely on it to give you your full servings of vegetables.
So how do you get a population of people to start liking vegetables again? The writers of these articles suggest starting very young with kids. Part of this is making sure that you eat whatever vegetable you feed them. If they see others eating it, they'll be more willing to try it. As for adults and older children, suggestions were made to sneak vegetables into certain foods you all ready eat.

In my opinion, its a lot easier said than done. If a person lives alone, fixing their diet might be a lot easier than if they were living with someone else. If a person lives with other people, then everyone in that household would have to agree to start eating more vegetables in order to have a better success rate at reaching better health. I see this from my own personal experience. I can't say how many times I've failed because the temptations of ... you know, its not that there were comfort foods and junk foods still in the house because my family still chose to eat them all the time... its that I couldn't control my cravings for whatever I saw and thought I'd rather have...and I couldn't have just a little of something, I had to have a pretty good amount in order to be satisfied. Sometimes I'd still want that kind of food even after I was full.

While I'm thinking about it, one of those articles said that fiber helps that full feeling...

All right... now I'm starting to see where my own problems are. I'll write more on it in a separate post.

woo-hoo!

I'm writing this blog from my room. My brother got the internet working in here... so I don't have to get on anybody else's computer. Yay! :D

Since the last time I posted, there really hasn't been much going on here. I'm having a friend of mine over to jam tonight... if we can get a good sound going, we may end up playing music together a lot more often.

I was going to go hang out with that Kentucky Guy tomorrow, but I was told that the band wanted to practice... and everybody else said they would be there, so I have to go too... :P

Sitting for my friend is like having a full-time job that doesn't pay well... lol. Yesterday I was there for 13 hours! Watching soap operas all day doesn't help me much...

Well, I'm out for now... talk to ya later!

Congrats Matt & Brittany!!

They just had a baby... and IT'S A BOY!!! I'm so happy for them! :D

Daaaaaaaaay-O ! Daaaaaaaay-O!

I'm bored and in a singing mood... lol. That means I'll sing for hours on end. Its a good thing that nobody is home right now. I'd probably drive them nuts because sometimes I only sing parts of songs and not the whole thing. This could be because I'm having trouble singing a part of a song, or maybe that is the only part of the song I know! lol
I just ate peanut butter, so I have to stop for awhile... singing and eating anything that coats the throat like that isn't good for the voice.
If there is one thing I can say I am extremely picky about, its my voice. If something could damage it, I don't do it. Unless I'm practicing... then I sing until I can't even talk... lol.
Mentioning that, I'm currently talking to a few friends on messenger... think I'll stop writing for right now.

50 profile views!!

Thank you! Both of you! :D

Mostly more Boyton St.

I'm going with my younger brother to Indiana to visit our half sister and her family in a couple weeks... I can't wait! :D
We're only staying a week because my brother is going back to school the week after that.
We haven't seen them in a long time... it'll be great to spend time with them.

Let's just hope I don't get us lost! LOL...

Other than that, there's nothing going on really... like every Tuesday we played up at Boyton street. It was our biggest crowd ever... we had 77 people show... and almost ran out of seats to put them in... not to mention there was really no room in the place left because of how small it is!

Thankfully, whatever "guest singers/musicians" we had there didn't do too bad. A couple were actually pretty good... rare for us to run into anybody that can keep time AND stay on key...lol.

Anyway, it was a fun night.

Afterward, some of us went up to the truck stop in town and ate. I shouldn't have eaten anything... but you know eating is my third hobby (preceded by sleeping and playing music. Not necessarily in that order)... lol.

I wish Bob could have been there... he's been stuck with emphysema which is a real problem, especially when a man only has one lung. None of us know if he'll make it as he's in pretty bad shape... my thoughts and prayers are with him.
Just in case he gets to feeling better, we're leaving his spot in the band open. We all know how much Bob loves to play :)

Tomorrow I don't know what is going on. Chores and practice I guess... like every day...

I'm tired...

Amazingly my brother and his friends are being quiet. This means that maybe, just maybe they'll let the rest of us sleep... ha ha.

Mom's back is doing better she says. She went back to work two days ago and is still going to physical therapy.

Dad's on the road again. Took awhile to get him to work... forgot half of his stuff that he needs to take with him... lol.

I met my cousin at the truck stop in town earlier when he was passing through on his way to Florida. He seems to be doing well. Getting to spend time with him today put me in a good mood.

My Mom's friend called wanting to know when I could watch her mother again. I told her about the bookings I have for this thursday and friday night. I'm still going to watch her during the day on friday though, and pretty much all day on saturday... joy. The good news in all of this is that according to my cousin (who is very well read and incredibly smart), there are people who watch the elderly for a living... like a babysitter or live-in companion... the same way that I watch my friend's mother. I need to do research on that. Maybe this is where I need to go for now? I guess we'll have to see...


Right now I'm just sitting here on the computer... talking to a couple of my friends... who's minds are both in the gutter tonight... lol.

You've gotta love 'em anyway. :)

Well, I guess I need to get to sleep some time tonight... what is it now, Tuesday? Yeah, I play tonight too... going to be busy for a change... take care all! I'm out!

*********

Not much going on right now. I'm playing at the Eagles this weekend and can only hope all goes well. I'm sure it will be business as usual, but you never really know who is going to be there.

Lately (over the past couple weeks or so) I've been put in charge of watching a friend's mother while she goes on errands. I don't mind it, but sitting on the couch for 9 hours (I'm not kidding, she really leaves me with her for that long some days!) , isn't exactly fun.... especially when whatever program that does in-home care for the elderly sends some noob over who has no idea what the hell they're doing! My friend was not happy when I told her what that woman did... lol.

I've been going through a few internal struggles too. I finally figured out a few of the causes of my problems and reasons for those causes to exist. I can finally start to turn things around and get on track after nearly two months to the date of being depressed and terribly confused. At least now I know where I stand, what my goals are, how far they are, what I need to get there, and what I need to let go and get rid of in order to attain these goals.

Well, I think I'll call it quits here for now. I don't have much else to talk about.

Boyton St.

If there's one thing I don't like about rainy weather, its the gloomy, depressing feelings I get along with it. I don't know why, but most of the time I feel depressed when it rains. To me its strange, because its not like I go outdoors much anyway.

My wrist has been bothering me for a couple days now. I hurt it a few months ago back when I was trying to work fast food, and once in a while it still bothers me. I keep hoping that maybe I'll work it out and it'll go away, but so far it hasn't. I'm starting to wonder about it.

Mom has to attend physical therapy sessions a few times a week. I'm taking her because she has trouble walking anymore and tells me she doesn't trust herself to drive right now. I hope this therapy helps...

I'm still on the job hunt, and I plan on breaking the bad news to the boss men of the bands I'm in. I will tell at least one of them anyway since he'll of course be there tonight. I'm going to tell them to be thinking about and looking for a person to replace me if I can't be there. I know that I will have to give up Tuesdays for sure. Weekends are still kinda iffy. It depends on the job I get. I still need to tell them anyway. I can't quit the way I've seen other musicians leave. I will give both bands plenty of time to find a replacement for me before I stop coming. I've accepted that this is what I need to do for the time being until I can find something better that will allow me to play music on the weekends. I can't think of too many places for a person like me to work where I could have my weekends to play music. Fast food places are not an option for me, I can't keep up with it. I've been there, tried my best, and ended up jobless again within a week of getting hired. I'll say there was definitely a lack of training on their part, but I still should have caught on to some things faster than I did.

I'll find something I'm sure... anything will be great. I just have to tell the bands that I might be leaving and start focusing on what needs to be done.

RE: Stream of Consciousness

This is a response to a blog entry a friend of mine made on his myspace account. I have not asked permission to post a link to his blog, so out of respect I will refrain from it.
The blog topic? Concerns with teenage dating.
__________________________________________________________________

My friend, I have to agree with you that teenage dating these days is growing more and more out of control. Teens are definitely getting themselves into deeper relations that they're not yet mature enough in which to handle the consequences.

The first approach you mentioned is one I also find interesting. This approach is that some believe dating should not be allowed before the age of eighteen. I guess I can see how a person can be benefitted by waiting so long, as I was eighteen when I started dating. You are definitely safe from harm until you're grown the way parents want their kids to be. Although I'm not so sure if a person can benefit from waiting so long. I was officially allowed to date at the age of sixteen, but at the time I just didn't find anybody I liked that well... lol. I ended up waiting until I was eighteen before that happened. Still, even though I didn't make the mistakes or have the kind of experiences that my other friends did, I still made mistakes when I matured that may or may not have been just as bad or worse than ones they've made. So do we allow our teens to make those mistakes now or later? They still have to learn the same things either way.

I agree that not allowing kids and teens to interact with members of the opposite sex is a mistake. Socializing is a big part of growing up and is needed to learn to handle society as a whole. In my opinion though, dating has no place before the age of fifteen at the earliest, when a teen enters high school. Anything more than friendships before then is too early.

As far as teens blaming their parents for being too strict or protective... it sounds like they have parents like mine. Their parents care about what their kids are doing and are trying their best to keep them out of trouble. Now I realize there is a limit to all of this and I'm sure there are a few parents that cross the line, but parents asking "who, what, when, where and why" before thier teen goes somewhere is not being overbearing... its just keeping tabs on their kids.

When you talk about society being in a hurry for kids to grow up, I have to say I'm not so sure that we are. I think all people are trying to do is get those kids to be thinking about thier future. High School students that wait forever before deciding about college go under a lot of pressure, only having two years (assuming they start to think about it their junior year) to figure out what to do with the rest of thier lives. Author John C. Maxwell states in his book Talent is Never Enough that "The only thing that relieves pressure is preparation."
The more prepared you are for what you want to accomplish, the better you'll do. Talent alone, like the book title says, is just not enough.

You talk about the group date losing favor... I don't see too many going on group dates nowadays either. I personally have never been on one. As a result, you are correct in saying that its easier to allow oneself to be involved in risky behavior.

I agree with most of what you wrote overall, and thought your entry was very well written. We do need to put protections back up to save our teens, as you said, they are our future. Thank you for sharing your views with me. I enjoyed reading your entry and look forward to the next one as always. :D

Menards

She's been eating those pain pills the doctor gave her as if they were her favorite candy. Mom hasn't been feeling well at all with her back the way it is; she's in an aweful lot of pain and nothing, not heat, not massages, not even prescribed medicine has helped so far... she's got us all worried.

Dad is taking her back to the doctor to see what can be done. In fact, they just left a few minutes ago after Mom called in sick at work. This is amazingly, only the second time she's ever missed a days work since she started having major back pain. She's a cashier at a hardware store and she is no doubt one of the hardest working people in that building. Her back has always given her trouble as the result of a motorcycle crash when she was younger. However, in spite of this, she still does plenty of heavy lifting, walking the floor of that huge store to complete returns and to help customers, being on her feet for 8 hours (sometimes more than that) working as a "part time" employee.

I really hope that something can be done to help her... my Mom is a strong person. Seeing her in any sort of pain bothers me a lot. Honestly, I don't think its just the result of that crash she had thats causing her problem, I believe her job has a lot to do with it. Mom does a lot more than she's expected to. If she's not on a register, she's helping customers on the floor, stocking shelves or doing returns. Since my Mom is stubborn, no matter the weight, if she can lift it she puts it on the shelf without help...and she's starting to really hurt from lifting so much. She's been hurting for the past week and as I've said, today is only the second day she's taken off. The rest of the week she's worked as much she would any other day.

...

I just want her to feel better.

Sigh...

I've been sitting on this computer for about an hour this morning... no, make that two hours now just on updating my myspace profile (www.myspace.com/gtrplyr47). I think I'm just going to leave it the way it is. I'm noticing more and more now that at least once a day I get wrapped up in things that do nothing but waste time... and as a result, I waste a LOT of it. Its been a problem for a year now. Today I still have a few things I need to do including my workout, chores, and filling out applications which I'm going to get started on as soon as I finish this entry.
I couldn't sleep last night at all hardly, it wasn't until around 4am that I finally became unconcious... ha ha! I've had plenty of sleep problems lately... stay up really late and sleep in that way too. Although today I didn't do as bad. I woke up at eight thirty and stayed that way. Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight.
I guess I'll call it quits here for now, if I'm on the computer again tonight I'll try to write again.

This Hurts...

Readers, I'm going to warn you that I'm not going to be myself for awhile, as I know that a choice I have to make is causing me to break down.

Its down to the nitty gritty for me to find a job that I think I can keep. People I know think that I haven't been looking, but the truth of the matter is that I've tried for over a year to find one that can work around the band schedule that I know I can handle. I've had absolutely no success whatsoever. People won't hire me on account of how often our band plays and my lack of job experience on top of it. The last job I had was so fast paced, that no one took time to train me even after knowing that I'd never worked like that before... I couldn't keep up with it. It seems that I'll have to give up playing music for awhile, and it breaks my heart to think that because that means giving up a huge part (if not the biggest part) of who I am... and who I've been for the past five years.

Now that I've accepted this, I guess the next step is to notify both groups that I am still looking for work and that they need to find someone to replace me when I finally find something because I won't be able to play anymore.

Hopefully after a couple years I'll be able to go back to it. I'm going to miss it like you wouldn't believe. Leaving the band is going to be like leaving family behind, I love the people in the band as well as their families. I love the music we play, and I love the audience I play for. I can't thank God enough for the opportunity to know these people and to learn from them.


... I'm sorry I have to let them down...


... but like they say, all good things must come to an end, and its time for this girl to pack up and leave home.

Lazy Day

Today has been a pretty lazy day for me over all. The most I've done is run in to town to pick up a few things. I might go shopping again because I found a few more things I need.

I took some time to change my page a little bit. I think I like it. That picture is yet another one from my senior year photo shoot. I was just playing around with the pictures I had on Microsoft Digital Image Pro and found all kinds of neat stuff to do, but I chose to just stick with black and white. I don't get my picture taken that often (as I'm usually holding the camera), which is the main reason I keep using the ones from high school... they're the best and only ones I've got!

I just realized I'm hungry... I haven't eaten that much today... none of it was good for me either.
The whole fitness thing is not going well at all... I've been stuck for awhile and haven't lost anymore weight. I'm not gaining any of it back, but I haven't made progress in so long that I know I'm definitely doing something wrong. I need to figure out what it is and fix it. I might hire a trainer to help with that. I'll get it straightened out. I have to.

Today is tuesday, meaning I'll be playing at Boyton St. Its about 2:30 or so now, meaning I have only a few hours before I have to go. I bet I can get a work out in, but I don't think I'll have time to head to the gym. I still have to finish my laundry or I'll have nothing to wear tonight!

Guess that means I'd better get moving. I've been on this computer for a couple hours now, I can take a break from it... at least until I get home tonight...

Happy Independence Day!!!

Today I went up to a friend's dance barn up around the Benton area to listen to the band and just have fun. There were a bunch of musicians there, but not nearly as many as the owner had expected (we were all supposed to take turns jamming). The party goes on until 10pm tonight; I hope more people show! Another friend of mine is in the band up there and from what I saw, he's the only lead guitar playing so far. Maybe somebody will come and bring their guitar so he can take a break. He's going to be worn out after today I think... anyway, I had fun up there.

As far as tonight goes, I don't know what we're doing. My brother isn't home, Dad's asleep, Mom is tired because she just got home from work, so I don't know if anyone will want to go watch fireworks or not. Of course, we had some rain earlier today, so they might be cancelled... I'm not sure.

Mom and I are cooking on the grill right now... nothing like it. I'm not hungry right now since I ate at that party, but I have a feeling I will be late tonight...

Well, I hope everybody has a great July 4th! I'm out for now!

eh...

I know its been a little while since the last update, so here goes...

Lately I've found myself skipping the gym in order to go job hunting... no luck so far. Maybe things will pick up soon...

Right now I'm trying to talk to my friends on messenger and write at the same time... kinda hard when one of them keeps talking to you, but I don't mind at all :)

My friend is waiting on me to finish this blog entry so he can read it... keeps saying I'm slacking... he's right... ha ha... I wonder when we're going to hang out next though? Haven't seen him in a little while...

Let's see... I play boyton st. tomorrow night, July fourth celebration Wednesday, more babysitting thursday afternoon... no idea when I get out of there... other than that, I don't have any other plans until saturday night... I have to play in Mt. Vernon.

Well, guess I'm going to wrap it up here...