Sleep? What do you mean by that?

:::::yawn::::: I suspect that my sleep debt as of right now is three times larger than the debt of all the developing African countries put together. I'm tired. Exhausted. Wiped out. If I stop typing in the middle of a sentence and all that you see is something that looks roughly like this: "ahdlfkhalsdihflasidhfak..."then know that it's because I have passed out, my head has hit the keyboard and somehow miraculously subsequently managed to also post the entry...ok, so maybe that won't happen, but never say never!

Ok, let's take this in a different direction now. I noticed that lately people have been really noticing how different I look, or maybe they noticed before but now it's gotten so blatant that they feel they should say something. People are constantly telling me how good I look- and no, I am not getting a big head- but they are ALWAYS sure to add that "it's not that you didn't look good before, of course." I appreciate the compliment, and that's sweet that they were sure to add that, but I always want to add, "Puh-lease. Who are you kidding? I was a heifer." Or even something like, "That's funny. I wish you'd said something before, then."

Would I ever say something like that? Of course not! I am way too nice and I know that people mean well. Still, it strikes me how sensitive this topic actually is and how much people tiptoe around it when it's the obvious elephant in the room- pun intended. A staggering percentage of adults and children in this country are obese- not just overweight- obese. Everyone is fat. It's time to speak frankly about it and do something before it's too late.

It's not just about appearance- which I believe is what has people so anxious about bringing it up. It's also about health and living longer. Yes, when my family brought this up to me I was resentful. How could I not be? It's like living with a bunch of Twiggies! I know now that they were genuinely frightened for my life. They love me and were scared that I wouldn't be around if I kept going the way that I was. I see clearly now that they were absolutely right.

On a different vein and somewhat lighter note, I cleaned out my closet the other day and realized that the vast majority of my clothes either a.) no longer fit, b.)are incredibly stretched out and no longer fit or c.) some combo of the aforementioned. This puts me in a difficult position. I have about 25 more pounds to go, so I will most likely be in a smaller size when I reach my goal, which would mean that the clothes I buy now will be irrelevant.

This creates an even bigger conundrum for me. I am quite stylish, if I may say so. I'm known as the glamour girl of the finance division and I can FINALLY wear the clothes that i've always wanted to wear. The problem? Figuring out what to buy and what to hold off on. Luckily, my cleavage seems to be staying firmly put and as it is generous, I need a medium or a large in tops, and probably always will, so I can get tops- just not bottoms. This is like saying, "You can build the house, you just can't put the roof on!" Frustration!!!

The other night I decided to bite the bullet and went shopping with my grandmother, which is always an interesting experience. My grandmother is absolutely hilarious- she cheats at Scrabble, watches Sex and the City every Wednesday, and will occasionally drop a swear word. She's also one of the sharpest and smartest people I know and taught me more than I could ever even say. I love my grandmother dearly, but we do NOT have a good track record when it comes to shopping together. At all.

I remember when I was a sophomore in high school and we wandered into Express. She took one look around the store, beckoned the salesgirl (who looked about 17) overand proceeded to tell her that it was a terrible store with cheap, sleazy clothes and that she didn't understand why they had sold out and were selling such horrible clothing to children. Oh, I kid you not. I cowered in a corner, secretly lusting after a pair of "sleazy" jeans.

Well, my grandmother offered to take me shopping because goodness knows I need some nice clothes for work. I am happy to report that other than a brief foray into Liz Claiborne (a bit too old for me), and a three minute jaunt into Kasper, we went to some pretty great places and I was able to pick up a few things. Of course, I did hear the obligatory, "You always have to find out what it's made of!" or "You don't really like that, do you?" and my personal favorite, "That's cheesy." But no salesgirls were harmed during the excursion. All in all, a really fun time with someone I love alot. What more could I ask for? Appreciate your families people!!!

Well, i'm off. I am going to attempt to figure out how to add more pictures, so we'll see if I can get them up on my next post, which, hopefully, will not be too long from now. :)