Online Diet Programs - December 29, 2008

I was a skinny child, a skinny teenager - weighed less than 100 lbs until I turned 30. Three things happened. My metabolism changed, I quit smoking, and changed from a standing job to a sitting job and gained 40 lbs. I never thought I'd have to diet. I've done the Weight Watchers program several times, and it does work for me to lose weight, but I have problems maintaining it. I used the WW online program 2 summers ago, and lost 19 lbs - and have gained most of it back. So if I'm going to pay for an online diet program, I'll rejoin WW online.

I'm trying out some of the free diet tracker programs. What I'm looking for is a food tracker with a large database, ability to add custom foods and foods made from recipes. And I also want a fitness tracker with the ability to add custom activities. I'd like to know what the targets are for % of daily food intake for fats, carbs & proteins. So far, I've tried FitDay.com. There is a premium version, but the free version has a lot of features. I also looked at the Special K site and ShapeFit. I tried looking for reviews & comparisons, but couldn't find a comprehensive comparison of the online diet tools.

College Credit for Prior Learning - December 08, 2008

When I decided to work on my Bachelor's degree after a 28 year gap in education, I looked at the local 4-year colleges in the U of MD system since there are several campuses within easy driving distance, and also some online colleges. I already had 75 credits and my Associates degree in Psychology from Davis & Elkins in WV, but found I was missing some lower level General Education requirements that I could take at Anne Arundel Community College, and then transfer all of my credits to a 4-year college. This is where things got muddy. Advisors at AACC were not really helpful, since they could not know if/how my 55 transfer credits from D&E would be accepted or applied, and each college had slightly different General Education requirements. I narrowed my list of transfer institutions to 2 - Coppin State, because they have Psychology program with an Addictions Counselor track, and they are close to my office, and UMUC - because everything is offered online, though the campus is still within driving distance. UMUC also offered a Prior Learning program where you can get credits through portfolio for life learning outside the college classroom. I had my official transcripts sent to Coppin, and UMUC did an unofficial evaluation from my student copies. Once I had these, it became easy to choose UMUC. Coppin was only going to accept 22 of my 55 credits from D&E, which essentially cheated me of an entire year of prior education. UMUC was not only willing to accept all of my credits, they will also help me get additional credits for those 400+ hours of Addictions counselor training I've accumulated, and for other on the job & life learning. I am excited about this. I have one more class to take at AACC - Statistics - and then I'll be ready to transfer for the Summer term.

Brandy - November 19, 2008

Brandy is my tortoise shell cat who has been my constant companion for 18 years. I got worried when she had stopped eating and wasn't socializing. We coaxed her to eat some rice & tuna, and I took her to the vet. She has chronic renal failure, and had to spend 2 nights at the animal hospital. This is not curable, but it is treatable. She will be on a special diet and I will have to give her fluid therapy. The kidney disease and old age will eventually take her, and I will have to decide at what point she is suffering. It is hard to let go.

Thoughts about the Election - November 07, 2008

After reading some other blogs & message boards, I'm not sure I even want to comment. I didn't vote for Obama. I did not make my choice based on race, on politcal party, or on whether I liked the candidate. I am Pro-Life. And Obama's agenda is very much against the Pro-Life movement. McCain was an OK candidate - could have been great, but not great, however, his record on Pro-Life issues has been good. Sarah Palin was "in your face, practice what I preach" Pro-Life, and I truly appreciated that about her. That being said, I believe that the election went the way it was meant to. On some levels I'm pleased. Pleased that an African American was elected President and pleased that so many young people participated in the process. I've had to process what it means to me personally, and I've decided that I need to be more active in Pro-Life issues, and speak out. I've also been praying a Divine Mercy Novena for our President-elect.

High School Reunion, Oct. 2008

I went to my 35th on Saturday - graduated from Glen Burnie High in 1973. I've been on the mailing list since the 20th, but this is the first one I've ever attended. It was fun, and there were a few people I remembered. It was a huge class, though - 628 (some people said more, but my transcript said 628). I did my own thing in high school - was good at the academics, but not very involved in the social aspects.

Diane Z.

My New Truck - October 01, 2008

I've been looking at small trucks for over a year. Actually, I've been wanting a small truck for a long time. We had a 1983 Chevy S-10, and a Datsun pick up in the 80s, a Dodge Caravan in the 90s, and DH drove a Toyota Tacoma on his last job, but we've had small cars for the past several years. Last year, I started researching small trucks. I looked at the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Dodge Dakota, GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger. I wanted a double cab, 2WD, automatic transmission, cruise control, power windows & CD player. It seems that most of the small trucks are now mid-size trucks. Each successive year, they've gotten a little bigger, except for the Ranger, but they don't make it in a double cab model. I narrowed my choices to the Toyota Tacoma, and the Chevrolet Colorado. Toyota, because they retain value longer, and the Colorado, because everything I wanted was available in the standard package - no add-ons. I chose the Colorado because it has a better mileage rating. I could have bought a Silverado or an Avalanche for less - they're practically giving those away right now. But I did get a pretty good deal on Silverado's little brother. And it's a nice ride. I love my new truck. !!!!

Raven's Game - August 29, 2008

Last night, my son-in-law got 4 free tickets to the Baltimore Raven's pre-season game against the Atlanta Falcons - 5th row seats. This was my first live NFL game ever. I think my brothers went to a Colts game in the 70's, but I never did. We lost 9 -10, but I had a great time. The Raven's did what they're really good at - field goals and defense - but no touchdowns. I really enjoyed watching the cheerleaders perform, too. My 6 year old grandson was totaly enamored - as soon as he saw them he said "look, cheerleaders". Especially when the guys were part of the squad, and they'd toss the girls up in the air, and the girls would flip & the guys would catch them. Later, the bigger guys in our group were egging him on to wave at them and say "hey, baby". I think one of the cheerleaders waved at him, too. I don't think of the cheerleaders as airheads. They are athletes in their own right, and they are skilled in their sport. The choreography was perfect. Yay Team.