One Month/Ten Pounds

I have officially been smoke free for 28 days (read: one month). Although I consider it a huge accomplishment, I'm sorta over the whole "I'm proud of myself" thing. Honest. I mean, yes, I did it - but there is only so much back-patting I'm gonna do. I have a bigger problem than smoking now! I'm gaining weight!!!

Ugh. I'm probably eating more. OK, I'm definitely eating more. And doing less. At least I had to walk outside to smoke! Now I just sit on the couch and watch Food Network. Or I lay in bed reading my teenage vampire romance novels.

I am 5'8" and 170lbs. I just looked online and found that the ideal weight for someone my height, age, and gender is 124-164 with an average weight of 161. My BMI is 25.8. The ideal BMI is 19-25.

So, I'm not obese but I definitely need to lose weight and tone up my belly. (Say "belly" like Fat Bastard in Austin Powers..."get in my belleee!") Hmph.

Please share some weight loss tips with me. How can I regain my svelte self (or at least my svelte self image)? I've never had abs and I really don't care about getting abs, so maybe svelte is the wrong word. I just want to get rid of my "belleee".

Me as Cosme McMoon.

Me and Katie.

Isn't she a cutie?? She's pregnant. (Not in this photo...now! She's pregnant now!!!!)

I'm Voting Republican

RE: Facebook

I'm slowly but surely becoming obsessed with Facebook.

I never thought that I would be involved with MySpace-type applications but this online "community" is fascinating! I'm able to connect with people I haven't (and likely wouldn't have) seen in a long time. Friends from Milan, Paris, London...it's wonderful!

That is all.

The Inter-cell-e-web-IT World

I've got two websites through work, I monitor four blogs, I'm on Facebook and MySpace, I'm Linkedin, and I have seven e-mail addresses although I only use two. I have 312 contacts in my cellphone and 1,276 contacts in my work e-distribution list (not including students/faculty/staff). There are four phone numbers on my business card...and I can be reached at all four. We have a laptop and a desktop computer at home and I have three computers in my office at work. I'm accountable for 62 accounts. I have to keep 14 distinct passwords memorized.

I only mention this because I'm overwhelmed this Monday morning.

Oh yeah, today marks 3 weeks of not smoking.

Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii

(CNN) -- A New Zealand judge has made a 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name can be changed from Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, the country's national news agency reported Thursday.

Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt listed a series of unusual names that New Zealand parents had given their children, and said he was concerned that such strange monikers would create hurdles for them as they grew up.

"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," the New Zealand Press Association quoted the judge as saying.

Among the names Murfitt cited: twins named Benson and Hedges -- after a brand of cigarettes; Violence; and Number 16 Bus Shelter.

Some parents had named children after six-cylinder Ford cars, the news agency reported. iReport.com: Do you have a unique name?

The Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages said in a statement that it had rejected names including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi -- a staple food in Polynesian cuisine -- and Sex Fruit.

A lawyer for Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii said the girl is so embarrassed by her name that friends know her as "K."

Last month, a judge in the U.S. state of Illinois allowed a school bus driver to legally change his first name to "In God" and his last name to "We Trust."

But an appeals court in the state of New Mexico ruled against a man -- named Variable -- who wanted to change his name to a two-word phrase that contains a four-letter expletive and expresses opposition to censorship.

RE: Twilight

OK, the first book of the "Twilight Saga" (it's actually called TWILIGHT) is, indeed, a love story. I didn't think I would say this but I read a teenage romance novel.

I have to tell you that it is a GREAT story. I loved it. The final third of the novel totally had me tearing through the pages.

I really really really loved the story and I can't wait to start the second novel...tomorrow (I've been reading for 6 hours straight. I need a break.)

Get the books. They're a light read...plus the movie is coming out soon!!