What a sucky afternoon. I was supposed to go to this rave thing on the outskirts of town to take pictures for a story I'm doing on raves...you know, those parties where everyone takes ecstasy and dances and has a good old drugged time. So I used my company card to buy a $30 ticket and an $8 disposable camera and drove 45 minutes to the ghetto where this thing is supposed to be held. IT GOT CANCELLED. I wasted about 2 hours, when you count buying the stuff and taking time to dress like some rave kid...Oh well. I'll get 2 hours of comp time for this. That's cool.

Last night at the gym was pretty cool. Apparently, nobody works out on Friday nights, so there was like no wait at all for the weight machines, and there were only about 3 people on the treadmills, so I didn't get stuck with one of the sucky loud ones in the corner. And the gym scale said I weighed 135.5 pounds, which is a half-pound loss from last week. I really need to get my ass in gear and start eating right...that's the reason the weight isn't coming off. At this rate, it'll be mid-2003 before I get to 115. And that would suck.

I also found out on Friday that my company won't pay for me to go to my journalism conference in Ft. Worth. :-( It's kinda ridiculous - I've been going to these things for two years. One year I traveled to Columbus, Ohio from Alabama for it, and last year I flew 7 hours to SEATTLE for it. And it's a 3-hour drive away this year and I can't go. My boss told me I could take some vacation and go, but that would cost me 2 days of vacation (the less I can spend home at Xmas) and about $500, with hotels, food, registration, etc. etc. etc. What a letdown.

Eats:
((8/16): One tilapia fillet with lemon seasoning, salad, two pieces toast
(8/17): One bowl Grainfield's Crunchy Cranberry cereal, milk, one slice toast; (lunch) one ham & provolone sandwich, snack bag of Cheetos. I know, I know. I'll eat better at dinner tonight.

Jen from nowhere @ 5:38 PM

My right hand feels like it's on fire. I think I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome. I spend eight hours a day chained to this (&*&^$ computer, typing my little heart out, no wonder. Not to mention I also use my right hand to guide the mouse, which doesn't make it any better. Argh. Painkillers here I come (just ibuprofen, don't worry).

I'm gonna try and leave work early today so I can stop by the grocery store and pick up some fish. We were supposed to get fish, shrimp and fresh sliced lunchmeat last night at HEB but both the deli and fish market were closed. So now I have to go to HEB on the way home and fight the Friday crowd all for a few pathetic pieces of seafood carcass. Maybe I'll stop by Whole Foods instead...more expensive but definitely closer. AND Mark wants to go to Central Market tonight and pick up some fancy schmancy marinade for the shrimp, and some skewers.

And then there's the gym. Of course.

I'm going to lunch.
Eats: Uncle Ben's Chicken Teriyaki Bowl, 380 cals.

Jen from nowhere @ 12:01 PM

We are such slackers. Mark and I didn't go to the gym last night. There just weren't enough hours in the evening to eat dinner, shop for groceries and then work out. But we are definitely going tonight - Mark of all people needs to go, considering he's only been once this week. (I've been four times - I rock!)

Last night was pretty uneventful, other than doing errands. I found out that my uncle, who's a big-deal CFO at a tech company here in town, is going to lose his job. Apparently, the company collapsed. But it's not like they're going to be out of money. He'll have a job for a few months and then get 3 months severance pay. I sure hope he can find a job somewhere local. I just got here and I've really enjoyed having my aunt nearby, esp. since my mom is 12 hours away. The whole thing is kinda scary - he's so qualified and experienced, and if HE can lose his job, who can't? The journalism job market has officially tanked, so if I lost my position I don't know what I'd do. Secretarial work, I guess.

Ho-hum. Not much else today. Gotta finish writing this story...argh.

Eats:
(12/15): California Club sandwich from Jason's Deli with turkey, bacon, guac, tomato, swiss, sprouts, lettuce; fresh fruit. (I figure it's OK since I ate like a bird all day.)
(12/16): Grainfield's Crunchy Cranberry Cereal with milk (yuck); Yoplait Fat Free Yogurt, Boston cream flavor. 250 cals total.

Jen from nowhere @ 8:33 AM

Oh yeah: Comments system is up. I'll leave the guestbook for those who like to do things the hard way. Enetation rules.

Jen from nowhere @ 6:19 PM

Busy night ahead. I'm just waiting for Mark to get here so we can work out, eat dinner and go to the grocery store. There is absolutely nothing left in the kitchen. We were going to buy a bunch of food for our guests, but ... plans change. Oh well, at least our grocery bill won't be $200 like it was when my mom came to visit. On my list:

*chicken breasts
*onions
*peppers
*enchilada mix (Mark loves 'em...I eat one, he eats 3. So sue me.)
*fish (mahi mahi)
*milk
*whole grain bread

So much more...got to plan out a menu...

I finished watching Sliding Doors when I got home from work today. It was ok, though a little unsettling to hear Gwyneth Paltrow use an English accent. It was even heavier than when she did Shakespeare in Love. But it makes you think - would your life be totally different if you took that OTHER job offer, went to another college, even went to work at a different time of day?

Eats: One cherry popsicle...35 calories, not bad.

Jen from nowhere @ 6:16 PM

Major bummer. Mark just called and told me that one of our old friends from high school is not coming to visit us as planned. His girlfriend, who was supposed to be coming too, got sick today and the trip was off. Even though he's not a really good friend, I'm disappointed. We're brand new to Texas, and I had been hoping to see a familiar face...plus guests are excuse to go out and have a good time.

Mark thinks he's lying and just doesn't want to make the drive from Michigan. See, he was supposed to leave MI early this morning and arrive in TX tomorrow sometime. But he never called or wrote last night to get directions to our place. One would think he'd call the night before just to be safe...but I don't want to second-guess anyone. Oh well. *Sigh* We've had a lot of guests lately anyway - my mom and then my friend Kathy.

At least I don't have to clean the house now.

Jen from nowhere @ 3:35 PM

I put a lame-o guestbook up (bottom of page) because doing those comment systems and stuff is a little out of my league. I signed up for two types but both times they end up at the TOP of the page rather than right after my entries. If anyone has any hints on this please clue me in.

Jen from nowhere @ 2:19 PM

The First Bona Fide Food Journal Entry - 8/15/02

Breakfast: 2 slices whole-grain toast, one with butter, one with peanut butter; milk

Lunch: Half a smoked turkey sandwich from Einstein Bagels (no mayo, just dijon); 1 cup cream of potato soup; Diet Coke

Jen from nowhere @ 1:35 PM

Jumping on the Bandwagon

So I guess it was only a matter of time before I started doing this. After all, with the career I have (writing), how could I not? But, unlike so many, I'm hoping this blog will turn out to be more than just a place to kvetch, complain and otherwise bitch. I'm hoping it will help me lose weight.

First off, let me start by saying that I'm not fat or overweight. Never have been, probably never will be. I weigh 136 and I'm 5'4". But since I left college two years ago and began working, 20 pounds have slowly crept up on me. Mostly on my hips and stomach. I know this doesn't sound like much of a problem, especially those who have 50 pounds or more to lose, but trust me - it's a big problem for me. It's caused my body to go all out of proportion. I can wear a medium or even small in shirts, but I'm pushing size 12 in pants, whereas I was a size 8 probably last year. I blame my stressful former job as a newspaper reporter, which never left me any time for working out or eating right. But now I'm working at a place that is more low-key, with a corporate discount on gym membership, so perhaps I'm on the right track now.

This is not to say that I'm unhappy with my body. I'm really not. I'm not embarrassed to wear shorts or skirts. I don't hide myself in baggy clothes. In fact, my fiance Mark likes the way I look. But I miss the old Jen. The Jen that could wear size 5. The Jen that wasn't embarrassed to wear a swimsuit. The Jen that could show off her bellybutton ring. Plus, I have a huge fear that if I don't start losing the pounds NOW - while I only have a few extra - I'll get up to 150 or so, and I'll never have the willpower to lose any significant weight. What can I say, I'm easily discouraged. And I love food. Love, love, love.

So this is where the blog comes in. I'm hoping that by posting how much I work out and what I eat, I'll be encouraged to work out even harder and eat even better. Kinda like having someone watching over your shoulder. I want to be accountable to someone, even if it's only a faceless Internet audience, in case I break down and have an Extra Value Meal. I want to see it in print. Perhaps that will help.

So here goes.

Jen from nowhere @ 12:26 PM

Okay, so this is my blog. Come back when it's more interesting.

Jen from nowhere @ 11:12 AM