pontalba

We pretty much like the same things, and read each others books all the time. Sort of a Yours, Mine, and Ours dipping into all of same. Re the weather, he is from New York, and keeps asking me when the winter will arrive.

Welcome! Yes, you'll find many great discussions here, both in the reading circle and casually in most of the threads. I will warn you though, your TBR pile/wish list will grow like Topsy.

I've added it to my wish list on Amazon.

Oh, Juile, that's wonderful! What a great guy you have there. I'm happy to hear they have the screen brightness adjustable. Good to know. Keep us posted on the progress.

Ok, we kinda went crazy yesterday between the estate sale and B&N.....here's the list. Estate Sale Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke MoMA Highlights [350 Works from the Museum of Modern Art New York] Grand Central Gateway to a Million Lives by John Belle and Maxinne R. Leighton The Crusades by Joe Oldenbourg Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett we already had the HB, but this is a lighter trade PB Tuxedo Park by Jennet Conant Not Me by Michael Lavigne After All These Years by Susan Isaacs ****************************************************************** B&N Mathematics, The Loss of Certainty by Kline Columbine by Dave Cullen Espionage by David Owen Kate by William J. Mann Elizabeth I by Margaret George A Covert Affair by Jennet Conant Blockade Billy by Stephen King Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates The Other Life by Ellen Meister All except the last two were bargain priced. Happiness

Great review Julie, thanks. I've wondered if the book was one I'd like. Now I know it certainly is.

Fantastic! And you look great in your posted picture, don't need ot lose any more. I am officially impressed! What a great start you have. 'Tis a good start. Looks like everyone is doing well, Yays!!!

Hey Julie, We have had two nights of 26F, but tonight it's supposed to be warmer, maybe in the 40's I think. The days have been magnificant, clear blue skies and very chilly. Enough for a sweater and coat, but not necissarily a heavy coat even. We do get snow every decade or so. In fact in December of 2008 I had 2 feet of snow in the yard. That was mind blowing for me, I can tell you! I've never seen that much snow. It fell big and wet for all night, and a goodly part of the day here. The quiet was amazing. I've seen dusting of snow maybe 3 times in my life besides that. I think for the reading, I have to remember to bring the kindle upstairs and read before I go to sleep for awhile. Good way to make time and a better dent. Ben, I read most, if not all of Sherlock Holmes when I was young, and enjoyed them then. I read Hound of the Baskervilles again at the beginning of last year and felt let down somehow. Maybe I watch too many detective shows. I found myself resenting the way Holmes spoke to Watson. Your enthusiasm has made me want to go back though, and reread more to check them out again.

Thanks poppy, Goldy is a love. And know that you have done everything for Oscar you could have. First off, the vets don't just tell people that you know, they mean it. Many times when it's noticed that a cat isn't eating properly (and believe me, with multiple cats, that isn't easy!) there is something like kidney faliure, or some sort of organ failure going on. There is not too much to be done in those cases. I've given them water under the skin, and if a cat is younger, and there isn't an underlying failure going on, they can cure up and be ok. But with an older cat, once that kidney failure sets in, and it is very common in cats, there isn't anything to be done. 14 is about the age it can set in. You can prolong, but frankly, that is not always the kind thing to do. It just depends. You saved him, you loved him, you gave him a good home, with good companionship. No one can do more.

Hah, too true. I put several thousand pagers on mine. Well Worth It!!

We went across the lake today to the South Shore (New Orleans suburbs) to an estate sale, yes, we found some books. Also some lovely crystal wine glasses (8) only 15 USD. There were quite a few things we'd have liked to have bought, but either too expensive, or too big to fit in the Jeep. Or both! Also stopped in at the huge Barnes & Noble over there. /sigh/ Yes, we found some sale books. The diet, amazingly, remained intact. I had a grilled chicken salad and hubby had a beautiful hamburger pattywith cheese. Thick and luscious. It came with french fries (chips to you guys ) amd he only ate two of them, so that didn't amount to much of anything.

I've always read that eating 6 small meals is better than eating 3 regular meals. I take that to mean that grazing can be a good thing, if the food you are eating is healthy. Not chips and chocolate. So, maybe try to eat smaller meals more often. Could you do that? Fantastic! Don't stop now!

Glad to hear it! LOL You are not alone in dragging your feet reading. I'm still only about a quarter into Cryptonomicon. Just haven't had the time to read lately. When I do pick it up, it is really interesting, and grabs me.

He was a gorgeous cat poppy, and your pictures are great. I'm so sorry you lost him. I know how that is, I've had cats for the last 30 years, and it doesn't get any easier. But boy, they are certainly worth it. As you can see, our ginger tom is my avatar, misnamed Goldy. He was a stray that came around and stayed. We live in the country, and no one claimed him..He was pretty wild at first, but now is the most loving lap cat here, except for his pal Twinkletoes. They are not litter mates, but love each other all the same. The name goldy was only supposed to be a "place name" until we managed to get him in the house, but it stuck.

Nollaig, Yeah, I agree, Easter time is a good time frame to think about. I figure about the same for myself. Maybe a little sooner if I keep losing nearish the same rate. I started this diet 10 days ago, and have lost 8 pounds. /fingers crossed/ BookGeek, I too am a chocoholic, but I find the longer I go without, the easier it becomes. Starbucks has come out with a new mocha/coffee drink that is very low in carbs, and that seems to be our weekly treat of choice. We both love to go in there and just relax in the huge leather easy chairs, pull out the kindle, or on a Sunday grab the New York Times and go through it. Funny, I see more articles reading it like that than ever I see on line. Hyzenthlay, Yours is probably the most sensible diet. Smaller portions of what you are used to eating. With possible exceptions, ie fats and sugars. Good going!

/sigh/ Gorgeous covers. Me want. /groan/ Trouble is, I'd have to choose which one. I want several. The Prices!

That's great, good going! Oh, I only meant that on that amount of calories, I wouldn't lose weight, or if I did it would be very slowly. But I think I probably have a low metabolism. Everyone is different. If that amount of calories a day work for you, stick with it! I expect I am not as active as you are, and certainly much older, and the older one gets, the more difficult it is to lose weight. So you are doing the right thing, losing it now. Just don't regain.....too much. Yes, 2 days is a little too soon. But you say you feel better, and that's certainly a giant step in the right direction! Think how great it'll be when you can fit into something you haven't worn in months/years. A couple of years ago, I'd lost 23 or 24 pounds, and looked and felt immensely better. I remember the absolutely wonderful feeling when a neighbor I hadn't seen in several months saw me across the front of the grocery, and the jaw dropped. I could see it 30 feet away. mmmmmloverly. lolol

Yes, I was under the impression that the Dark Tower series was a sort of expansion of The Stand. /whoops/

That is what it comes down to in the end Talisman, what our bodies tolerate, and what works for us, individually. I have heard of the Hay diet, or it's close sibling many years ago. I tried it, not for long granted, but it didn't have any effect on my weight.

Is that the 7 volume version? I read the original The Stand many years ago, but thought these were the new version. I'm confused.

First, if you can lose on that number of calories a day, it's great! I never could. Re Atkins, all you do is eat the foods I mention above. Protein, some vegetables, No sugar or grains. Count carbohydrates instead of calories. When you start checking out the number of carbs in food, it's amazingly high. On what Atkins calls the Induction Phase, you can only have 20 carbs a day. that only lasts two weeks though. There are some in-between phases, then finally the Maintaince Phase. In the end, it's really about letting go of sugars. In their Maintaince Phase, there are plenty of complex carbs like good grain breads, whole wheat pasta, stuff like that, just not the simple sugars, like cake and ice cream. It isn't for everyone, and everyone can't do it. It's a good idea to check with your doctor about any diet. If you have any medical conditions, that can affect your decisions about any diet as well. I'm pretty much healthy as a horse, and will be more so after I lose the next 40 pounds.

For me the Atkins Diet works best. I think there are many misconceptions about Atkins, and that's a pity as it is both sensible and productive. We eat chicken, turkey, fish, all grilled in a little olive oil. Eggs fixed in any manner, we buy the Eggland's Best. They are lower in cholesterol than most, and cheese. There are two pages of vegetables that are available. Today we bought a lovely eggplant, and salad fixings. There are No Carb dressings for the salad that are quite satisfying. No bread, no pasta, no rice, no oatmeal, or any sort of grain, or sugar. Atkins allows certain sweeteners in your coffee or tea. I've now lost 6 pounds in a week. I know it won't continue at this rate, but I feel good. Yes, I miss toasted bread, and so forth, but it's worth it. I know it's not forever, I'll be able to resume some later down the road. It is a balanced diet, the above is for the two week induction period. There are more vegetables and a few grains added in later periods. I'm not trying to "sell" Atkins to anyone, it's just that the misconceptions begin to annoy me sometimes, and I'd like to set the record straight.

I hoped it would be excellent, and that I can get ahold of either a DVD of it, or perhaps Amazon streaming. Fingers crossed it goes into a series. I expect if it has enough calls about it, or the ratings were good, there will be more.

Me too, have seen it twice. Once at the theatre, and have the DVD. Loved Shutter Island. The night we saw it, we stopped at the book store and bought a copy of the book. It stuck pretty close. Both excellent.

I have Night Circus on the TBR pile, looking forward to it, glad to hear it is good! I took a look on Amazon, it does look interesting, and the price was right. He was absolutely adorable in the Star Trek film. Made a great young Scotty. That is the only time I've seen him.