No Job, Seasonal Depression, and a Hopeful Outlook

Well it’s been 7 months now since my last employer sent me my “W-2 forms” in the mail. Which was an “in your face” hint for me to stop calling them about if they had any work. So I’ve been formally laid-off and haven’t been able to find a new job so far.

Which on the up side has given me all the leisure time I need to keep up with my diet and exercise plan. So far I’ve managed to lose 75 pounds and am down to a 190 pounds. I’ve still got 40 more pounds to go, and if I still can’t get a boyfriend I may try losing another 20 to get me down to a skinny 130 pounds.

I’ve kind of hit a plateau in the weight loss this month. I only managed 4 pounds and then gain 2 pounds back, and now I’m struggling to keep off just the 2 pounds I’ve lost. I think it has a lot to do with the seasonal holiday depression I’m going through right now, not having any motivation to get on the treadmill and walk my 4 miles a day. That and temptations like – halloween candy, thanksgiving dinner, christmas bake goodies, and the like, that are starting to show up around my parents house {where I’m living because of no job}.

I’ve tried to get my mind off the depression by getting out on the on-line community. An on-line friend of mine says if I want to start dating again I’ve got to get *out there*. So with that in mind she suggested I join www.paganspace.com I’ve been an agnostic since the age of 13 when I got fed up with the Catholic religion my mom kept forcing me to adhere to. I’ve always been fascinated about the Pagan/Wiccan religion since my early 20’s and in the last couple of months I’ve decided to gather up all the books I’ve bought over the years on the subject and start formally studying.

I’ve had my ego boosted a couple of times by guys who have seen my profile picture ( www.paganspace.net/profile/Janiece ) and thought I looked *hot* and messaged me to be on my paganspace friends list.



Well my face and my lower legs might look OK, but my upper arms, stomach, and hips are still really fat. But the really loose t-shirt I’m wearing covers that up very nicely {snickers}. It’s still going to be kind of hard for me to get back in the dating scene. It’s been 15 years since any guy has taken notice of me and I’ve never done the flirting thing, since I’ve been fat all my life, I’ve never learned how to. Anyway, moving on to something different…

I’ve put all of my stitchery projects away until after the new year begins. I’m just not in the mood to stitch now-a-days. I still read the occasional romance novel, but not like I use to. The depression just makes me tired and I sleep a lot. The rest of the time I’m on the internet checking my e-mail, several dozen blogs, and two on-line communities. Well that’s it, for what’s been happening in my life up to this point.

That’s all for this blog blurb….

Halloween, Stitchery Update, and more….

Halloween Day:

Not much happened around here today. I was planning on dressing up like a swashbuckling vampire complete with my red and black floor length (6ft.) hooded cape, taking my niece and nephew out trick or treating again this year. But due to my massive weight loss (75 lbs.) my old SCA costume didn't fit me anymore. So I ended up asking my nephew what I should dress up as, and with out batting an eye he said Witch. Well thank goodness that wasn't a problem. I simply put my floor length hooded cape on and hung my silver sabbath pentacle around my neck and I was good to go.

Trick or treating with my nephew lasted all of 2 houses and that was it. My niece on the other hand had her poor mother going around several blocks in the neighborhood.

Here’s a couple of pics. Jesse is a pokemon named meril and Sarah is a dementor from Harry Potter.




Stitchery Update:

Well this is my end of the month update for Musical Bell Pull ( by Donna Vermillion Giampa ). This is the banjo and the bottom picture of the 4 instruments. This month I just couldn’t seem to get any sort of stitching enthusiasm jump started with this project. I think it has to do with that time of the year and my seasonal depression is rearing it’s head for the holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). So with that in mind I think I’ll put away all my stitching until well after the beginning of the new year. Here’s the latest picture.




SURPRISE!!!!!:

Well the biggest and most unexpected surprise came in the mail on Thursday the 30th. A personally autographed ARC (advanced reader copy) of Katie MacAlister’s Zen and the Art of Vampires. I had entered a random drawing contest hardly thinking I would win – and what’da ya know miracles really do happen. Because this is my very first ARC. {grins} The dedication page was for all the loyal minions that virtually live at her message board and of course I’m a card carrying member. I don’t know if this is coincident or not but my name was used as one of the fodder characters for two pages near the end of the book. It was however used as a male name, so ( Jan ) was pronounced like Yan ( as in yawn ). What’s really going to drive me crazy is the fact that I’m sworn to secrecy about what’s in the book and I have to keep my mouth shut until December 2nd when the book is officially released. I managed to read, or I should say rip, through it in an 11 ½ hour marathon read. From midnight Friday Halloween to 11:30 am Saturday. I still as yet haven’t had any sleep and I have this over whelming urge to read it all over again tonight. Yea, I know I has it bad addiction wise. {chuckle} Anyway here’s a pic of it in my hot little hands. My precious, My own, Bawhahahahha……





Weigh-In Update:

Wahoo!! I made double my weight loss goal again with another spectacular 10 pounds shed. That puts me 40 pounds closer to my tentative goal of 150 pounds. If I can keep up with this 10 pound loss consistently I think I may lower my final goal to 130 pounds!!!

Man one of these days I’m gonna have to get my hair cut and have a new {skinner} picture taken of me for the blog. {Grin}


For the next few months I’ll be catching up on my authors and writing book reviews.

That’s all for this blog blurb………..

Over Half Gone!!!!

Happy Happy Joy Joy !!!!

I had to post a special blurb today and say WAHOO!!! This last month I managed to double my weight loss goal to 10 pounds. Which put me well past the halfway mark for the goal I've set and I've got the picture to prove it. Only 50 more pounds to go. YEA!!!!

BOInk Mystery SAL Update

Greetings and a Happy Labor Day Weekend to those here in the States.

I just now finished up with squares 2 and 7A and have uploaded progress pictures See....



A full size picture of my progress so far taken outside on the neighbor's deck. The project is attached to my European Style Slate Frame.



I'll be moving BOInk to the bottom of the rotational pile since I've official worked on it a month now. Next I'll be working on Summer's End I really need to get some progress done on that. Maybe working on it this next month I may even finish it.

Other News: I've made my 5 pound weight loss goal again for the month - YEA!!!! Only 60 more pounds to go...
Starting next month I need to start looking for work again, for what little good it will do. Although, now that school has started maybe I'll have better luck with kids quitting to go back to school.

Well that's it for this Blog Blurb.

Somebody Whip Me….

with a Wet Noodle Again!!! Taking a line from Brittany Spears “Oops I did it again…”

No sooner do I finally finish one of my long term WiPs, I manage to find and join another on-line SAL. {Shakes head in utter bemusement.} You’d think I’d be happy with the 8 current projects I have now. Nope.

I can totally blame this on Needle In A Haystack’s e-newsletter. They mentioned a free design SAL from Tracy of Ink Circles. So I took a look and found out it was a Celtic design called “The Book of Ink Circles”. I ended up joining the Yahoo group on Tuesday and downloading the available parts. I found that it was started back in March, so I’m only 5 months behind. If you’re interested in the SAL you can find it on her website HERE.

I was rather astonished to discover that I live less than 10 miles away (just a stones throw) from Tracy who lives in West Richland, Wa. So a big wave in the general direction of West Richland/Benton City area.

Anyway, I dug around in my stash Thursday and found a 20” x 20” piece of 28ct. Ivory evenweave and did a floss toss with DMC Rayon. I can’t afford to buy silk thread so I opted for something that had the same sheen quality as silk. I think I did pretty well in the color matching. As I only had a JPEG of the floss to go by. I’ll try and get the fabric’s edges sewn up on the machine and put on a scroll frame some time this weekend.


Here’s the floss toss pic from Thursday:


Today after I looked at the floss again, I decided to change the dk. Blue to a slightly lighter hue. As it looks like the black will overwhelm the 30336.

Other news: First the good news. I’ve reached my 5 lb. goal for the last month. That gives me a grand total of 50 lbs. lost to date, with 65 lbs. more to go. Wahoo!!! Now the not so good news. I’ve had no luck with finding a new job and basically gave up looking this last month.

That’s it for this blog blurb…..