From the SU yard to the World

I remember it just like it was yesterday. May 1998. I'd just graduated from Southern University and my partner-in-crime GB had another year to go. We cried like babies...fearful, I guess of what the future held. No more living in the dorms or meeting for lunch and dinner in the cafe. 

I went off to Louisville. And time passed. She graduated, and eventually we found ourselves back in the same city and up to our old tricks. Together again. For good. Or, so we thought.

Then, life presented her with a chance to go to Qatar for a year. She had a blast. And shortly thereafter, life showed up again with another offer. Pack it all up and move to Turkey. And so, she did. But there are no tears this time...just expectations of grand adventures and, yes, a few butterflies, because it is a long way from home, after all. 

I say, you go girl! I say, that we take home with us. I say, that you can come home again, when you're good and ready. I say, have a blast! I say, when you least expect it, a little piece of home will manage to find you wherever you are. 

I will see you soon!

U done made me hit this car

I ventured out on my lunch hour with nothing but edamame and spicy thai soup on my mind.

Outside on the street, I walked over to the crosswalk, and proceeded to cross when the little white fluorescent stick man said I could. 

Halfway across the street, I heard a muted, but definite thud. The sounds of a small fender-bender in progress. The driver in the front car looked annoyed, hot and late for an

 appointment. The driver responsible for the accident looked mighty sheepish when he jumped from his car. 

Rather, than approach the front driver, he turns to me, shakes his head and says, "See what you did? I was looking at you, and you done made me hit this car."

I wonder if AllState's Accident Forgiveness will forgive that?

Just Shemika is Just Sweating...from here on out.

Holy Mary Mother of Thermostats!

I just opened an electric bill from Walton EMC, and I'm convinced they accidentally sent me the bill for the Governor's Mansion, because I KNOW my little ranch does not cost this much to cool. 

I mean, there was that one week in late July when I went on vacay and left the A/C running like the plants, TV and floor needed to be cooled off. And there was that one night, I was having hot flashes so I turned it down to like 68-degrees...but surely, surely this bill has to be wrong. Right?

I'm about to call Mr.-Charge-Shemika-Way-Too-Much-Walton-EMC right now and ask him to put me on a layaway plan. Cash for Clunkers is fine, but what about Cash for Cooling?! 

If Walton EMC says this bill really belongs to me and not to Sonny Perdue, I'll be forced to pay it, but my neighbors are gonna be so upset when every window in my house looks like this:

Thursday update

Breakfast: Pepsi
Lunch: 4 Chick-fil-A Nuggets from coworker 1, half-chicken salad on wheat from Co-Worker 2, the other half of the now room-temp Pepsi from breakfast.

If we are what we eat, then what am I?

Deep breath...without further ado... here's what I put in my mouth this week.

And before any of you even ask, no I didn't forget the breakfast items. I just didn't have any.

Monday
Lunch: Dr. Pepper
Dinner: Lemon Pepper fish (Tilapia, I think), collard greens (boiled, not braised), sliced tomatoes

Tuesday
Lunch: Turkey Burger Patty, Potatoes, leftover collards
Dinner: Popeyes Strips, Cajun Fries

Wednesday
Lunch: 1/2 California Roll, 1/2 Crunchee Roll
Dinner: Oatmeal

Tell the truth and shame the deviled eggs

I'd like to start this post with a short story.

Yesterday, I went to the dentist for my 6-month cleaning. He found a small cavity...yikes!!!

Doc was astonished, because my teeth were so healthy just 6 short months ago. He asks, “Have you been eating a lot of chewy candy or something?”

I reply, with a look of absolute innocence as I think about the Starburst and Laffy Taffy habit that has turned into nearly a crack addiction, “No, doctor.”

The End.

Also yesterday, a blog visitor asked what was I doing differently with food to achieve the new body I longed for in the "Farewell" post. It got me to thinking a lot about what I've eaten since I started working out so hard, and the truth is... I really haven't done anything different.

My work days are hectic, and I'm legendary for making a lunch out of say, Skittles, homemade deviled eggs and peanut butter pretzels scrounged from co-workers. It's not that I love those food combinations, it's just that they were nearby. And yes, that IS what I ate today. 

Clearly, with the cavity news and the diet inquiry, the Food Angels are trying to get me to take a closer look at how, when, what, and why I eat.

I pledge to all of you -- my three blog readers -- that I will document in this public forum, everything I eat and drink for the next week. 

If I know I have to tell all of you the truth about what I eat, maybe I'll make better choices out of shame, which will lead me to making better choices out of desire. We'll see.

Farewell to arms (and butts and hips and thighs)

Now that my armpits have returned to normal, I am on to obsessing over other parts of my body, specifically my hips, thighs and upper arms which have all somehow taken on a life of their own.

I’m not gonna beat myself up about it (or allow anyone else to do so), but I am going to wage war against the wideness like I’m the U.S. and my hips are N. Korea. (Or, would I rather be N. Korea, because they can probably win….?) Either way, it’s on! And by “on,” I mean the wideness is coming off.

I hereby declare that between now and some vague day in early Spring 2010, I will:

I can do this. I know I can.

The plan is already in full effect. I ran two very slow, very sweaty and very painful miles yesterday, but I felt great when it was all done. Except for the sweating part, but I guess that’s what N. Korea would call collateral damage.

I didn’t even care that two little barefoot babies streaked by me like 10 times with their ponytails just bouncing like running full speed was nothing to them. Or, that a size 2, geriatric grandmother with silver hair swooped past me, walking faster than I was running. Nope, none of that bothered me. Because I was out there, slowly but surely, one step at a time, running my way closer to bidding farewell to arms (and butts and hips and thighs).