Ok, so I thought I had seen all the games at Grab and was delighted to discover two more that I hadn't played before. My hand is cramping up with Bunny Vs World: http://www.grab.com/games/bunny-vs-world

And a few short rounds of strategy in Bunny Bunny: http://www.grab.com/games/bunny-bunny

So... I discovered another very cool little website, thanks to Kim Komando. Check it out: http://onlinebannergenerator.com/

Lots of cool little templates to play with, some fonts, font sizes, etc.

Some websites that I find extremely useful:

http://www.dailyblogtips.com/8-addictive-habits-of-bloggers/

http://wordsmith.org/anagram/

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt

http://www.m-w.com

http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml

http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

http://www.processlibrary.com/

http://www.komando.com/
http://www.komando.com/securitycenter/
http://www.komando.com/downloads/categories.aspx?cat=Security
http://www.komando.com/tips/categories.aspx?cat=41

http://ocwfinder.com/


And some websites that are my favs:

http://health.msn.com/fitness/fit-zone/

http://www.etsy.com/

http://www.punoftheday.com/

http://www.televisiontunes.com/

http://photobucket.com/findstuff/

http://tinypic.com

http://cooliris.com

http://www.brownielocks.com

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/

Here's an easy game to play.
Here's an easy thing to say:

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
And the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
And the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
Then the socket packet pocket has an error to report!

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
And the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
And your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
Then your situation's hopeless, and your system's gonna crash!

You can't say this?
What a shame sir!
We'll find you
Another game sir.

If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
Says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
But your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
That's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,

And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss
So your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
Then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'Cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!

When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risc,
Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM.
Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!

Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are the winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an [censored].

3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high

8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

11. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

12.. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

13. Glibido : All talk and no action.

14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

16. Beelzebug (n.) : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

And the winners are:

1. Coffee , n. The person upon whom one coughs.

2. Flabbergasted , adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.

3. Abdicate , v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

4 esplanade , v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.

5. Willy-nilly , adj. Impotent.

6. Negligent , adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.

7. Lymph , v. To walk with a lisp.

8. Gargoyle , n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.

9. Flatulence , n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.

10. Balderdash , n. A rapidly receding hairline..

11. Testicle , n. A humorous question on an exam.

12. Rectitude , n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

13. Pokemon , n.. A Rastafarian proctologist.

14. Oyster , n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.

15. Frisbeetarianism , n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

16. Circumvent , n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net
Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net    This one reminds me of getting older, lol...

Last month I was finally able to make my goal a reality, I lost the 100 pounds I set out to lose. It took a lot longer than it should have as I wasn't as aggressive towards the finish. Now my next goal is beginning to form in my head, lol. At the end of this month is the 2009 USA Racquetball National Singles Racquetball Championships in Houston, TX. My new goal will be to attend and play in that event next year. I have played in several tournaments so far and finally took 2nd in the Women's Singles A/B division. I may have to move into the 35+ or 40+ age bracket so those younger whipper-snappers don't eat me alive, lol. We'll see, but that's my tentative plan at the moment. Who knows, by this time next year, maybe it won't be so important to me and I will have discovered a new goal by then. On to bigger and better things!

Just plunking in random pics and info to test the save feature.

I suppose I should be absolutely thrilled with my progress so far, but I think I'm holding off the victory dance a little longer until it's all said and done. I'm down 80 pounds now since April and only have 20 - 25 to go (the hardest pounds to lose are the last ones I've noticed - this is really slow going now).

I have enjoyed getting back into my older clothes and moving the others out of my closet... thank goodness jeans never go out of style, right? I recently got my nose pierced and hair cut and am feeling a little spunky lately, lol. Gee, I wonder why? Playing racquetball 3x a week and teaching the basics on Sundays to whoever wants to learn - it's been fun.

To those struggling with their weight, like I have been the last 12 years... hang in there. I've noticed that being overweight is a very humbling thing and getting it off is a very liberating thing. Determination and persistence pay off in the long run, it's just maintaining the course and keeping it interesting in the process that can be hard. I can only wish you well and encourage you to stick with it if that's what you want. We have only one shot at this earthly life.

In lieu of a victory dance... gonna' do the virtual thing and share one of my fav vids.

Just updating my weight loss battles I guess. I've been down 65 pounds now for a couple weeks. Although the last 2 weeks have not seen any loss but a couple pounds, I think this has more to do with my recent schedule changes and later eating patterns than anything else. Gotta' find that right balance to be able to eat before 7pm. Now that school has started for the kiddos and other programs are getting underway, it's getting harder and harder to get home on time after hitting the gym. Fortunately, the man just moved to dayshift so that may help out considerably. Feeling really good about how things are going, aside from the recent lack of progress (at least I'm not gaining - LOL). I've been playing racquetball 3 days a week, alternating between strength and cardio 5 - 6 days a week aside from r'ball. And of course, the food is still good. :)

The particular regimen I'm on is called Green Faces, I may have to post what that looks like in another blog. It's very effective and similar to Atkins. I think what helps me with this is that the foods are very specific and it works if you stick to the 'very specific' foods on the list. Better than Atkins in that you are learning how to adopt a lifestyle change when eating, I don't think that's stressed enough in most diets. Those things that come from the earth are the best for you - not processed foods. We are on this planet because it can sustain us - so why change a good thing, right?

I have felt more empowered by this whole process and extremely more confident in myself as well. If you're reading this, thanks for popping in - I hope it will encourage you. And while I will never profess to be an expert in dieting and physical well being, please feel free to ask questions. I am more than open to discussing it all.

Ok, so it's been a little over 6 weeks and I've been able to drop 25 lbs. That's pretty good but still have a ways to go and I'm a bit shy to celebrate just yet, don't want to get too over confident.

The trainer I've been working with has had me journaling all the foods I eat. I have to admit, it's really helped considerably. That way she can visually see if I'm getting enough protein, the right carbs, veggies, etc.

Physically, I started out with a modest routine that I wanted to go a bit more aggressive with and the trainer has really stepped up and done that for me. The goal is to keep challenging the body so that it doesn't get used to any one routine and thus impair the body's ability to continue on a fat loss/strength gain. It's no fun working so hard at something only to plateau. I have to admit, I actually look forward to going to the gym and 'feeling the burn'.

Wednesdays are the days I look forward to the most, 2 hours of pure unadulterated fun... racquetball! It's good that it comes in the middle of the week, I wish I had two of those days in my week.

I have taken to bringing the kids for an hour of racquetball on either Saturday or Sunday as well as doing some letter boxing when we can (see blog on Cranmere Day). They have really enjoyed going to the gym with me just to smack the ball around.

Over all, it's one of the best 'self' investments I've ever made and I'm feeling very blessed to be able to do this and get the help of a trainer as well, it's a tight squeeze but we are learning how to shave corners, lol.

You might be wondering what Cranmere Day is and so did I. Here's a really good link to read up on the history of Cranmere Day: http://www.atlasquest.com/aboutlb/history/

Three of us set out on foot to find our most local letterbox and voila! We found it! Or should I say Eureka! It was only 2 blocks away, how cool is that? This is the same as geocaching and probably the precursor to geocaching for sure but it's roots go way back. Hope you have fun reading about Cranmere Day and find some letterboxes too!

I have to admit, I wasn't going to blog about this, but...

The two featured bloggers have kind of inspired me to go a little public with my own physical well being. I guess it helps to have public accountability... I am in it for the long haul - no turning back. I am overweight and have steadily increased over time since joining the Navy in 1988 - at least that's my marker for having begun putting weight on. I was used to working out hard at the Y almost every day until I entered the service. After joining I wasn't allowed to work out as often or as hard as I was used to and my metabolism began to change. Later on, long after I got out, two wonderful kids came along and I didn't get back into being active again after that. MY bad. Then desk jobs came along and that's all she wrote - a sedentary life - ugh!

I finally joined a health club two weeks ago and got some nice one on one time with a trainer to get me going in the right direction. I've been at it for about 2 weeks. I've started changing my eating habits, smaller meals/snacks more frequently as opposed to the 1 medium and 1 large meal that I was used to. Less carbs and more protein. I have noticed a change in my energy level doing it this way.

My current schedule looks like this.

3 - 4 TIMES A WEEK CARDIO:
6 - 7 minutes on the elliptical 5th resistance, to be increased in increments
6 - 7 minutes on the rowing machine to be increased in increments
20 minutes minimum on the bike to be increased in increments, 150 HR

SAME SCHEDULE AS CARDIO, INCREASING MUSCLE ROUTINE:
Chest Press - horizontal and vertical holds in 2 sets of 10-15 reps of 20 lbs
Rotation pull on cable, 2 sets of 20 - 25 reps each arm of 15-20 lbs
Back Extension - 2 sets of 20 - 25 reps at 20 lbs

2 days a week of Racquetball - the love of my sports life. :)
I haven't played racquetball in 10 years and then 10 years before that, so only once in about 20 years. I am back in the court and loving it! I got to play two games last week against the 5th ranked girl in the nation, who just got back from placing 14th overall at the PanAm games - how cool is that?! I don't mind telling you she mopped the floor with me, phew!



I got 3 points from her across two games but my goal is 5 points in one game right now. I will have to use a thinking game as opposed to an agility and speed game if I am to reach this goal.

So far, I have seen about a 7 pound drop since beginning my new lifestyle and it feels great so far. I enjoy feeling the burn for days, it makes me feel alive again. I definitely feel empowered now and am ready to get on with the rest of my life as someone who is physically fit and won't stop now. This will be most likely be a year long project for me, but I see light at the end of the tunnel. So if you see my Supergirl profile and listen to the Supergirl music in my blogs, you'll know why.