WanderingAmylessly 2.0

I've been awful about blogging. Or not blogging. Whatever. I promise I'll be better soon. When I'm completely over my cough. When my house is back together after major renovations. When I get exercise back in my schedule. When I finish reading the latest Diana Gabaldon novel. Maybe when the holidays are over?? Seriously, give me another week to regroup. I'll be back with a vengeance. Until then, you need to find a hobby. You might want to try that anyway, if you're missing my rants and blabs that much. You could also pop over to my weight-loss blog for a scrumptious-yet-healthy fall crock-pot stew , courtesy Weight Watchers.

I kept hearing "Oh, what a shame, what a great guy" comments after police found former NFL quarterback Steve McNair shot dead in a downtown Nashville condo last summer. But the more I read about the guy, the more I think it's just another case of overpaid sports figure getting too big for his UnderArmour. Not that I think he deserved to be murdered. Just that I'm not all that surprised things went south, given the life he'd been leading. For example, I just read an article that pointed out McNair, a married father of four, had been dating his murderer, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi. But wait, there's more. He had at least one other girlfriend, apparently. Leah Ignagni told police McNair had spent the night at her apartment two nights before he was murdered by his other girlfriend. Investigators learned from McNair's private security guard (who knew about the on-the-side chickybabes) that McNair was tired of Kazemi calling and bothering him when he was with his

We only THOUGHT Henry was better. Last night, no one got any sleep because H couldn't stop coughing. Miserable, it was. And this morning he woke up with a fever again. A trip to the doc assured us that he doesn't have pneumonia, just the godawful crud. Liquids, rest (with the help of Benadryl, the medical world's sedative of choice for children), ice cream (Henry's drug of choice -- Chocolate brownie chunk), and multiple episodes of Bindi the Jungle Girl. Tim still doesn't have symptoms. It will be a miracle if he gets out of this unscathed. Crossing fingers.

If what I have isn't the swine flu, I'd sure hate to experience the swine flu. Because whatever vile virus has attacked me has knocked me on my butt. From the way I'm aching, it knocked the rest of me around pretty soundly as well. According to the doc I saw yesterday, I do not have H1N1. They did the test. Have you had the test? It's not one you want to take. They jam a giant Q-tip up each nostril, straight into the sinus cavity, and leave it up there for 10 seconds. Which then caused me to sneeze several times all over the nurse. How hygienic is THAT? I also was treated like I had the Bubonic plague. They slapped a mask on me the second I walked through the door and ushered me straight into an exam room rather than having me linger in the waiting room with potential victims. I've been achy, had a temp of 102.6 at one point yesterday, runny nose, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, itchy eyes...blahblahblah. This stuff always affects me differently than regula

Please help our wonderful UI Children's Hospital in Iowa City get a spiffy game room for patients and visitors to enjoy. These kiddos endure much more than they should ever have to; they deserve some fun! Registering takes only a minute or so, and you can vote 10 times a day until the contest ends. The top three hospitals get the game room. Click here to go to the site. Currently, we're FOURTH! UGH!!!

About 60 million Americans experience mental health problems in any given year. One in 17 lives with the most serious conditions. Fewer than one-third get treatment. Observed each year during the first full week of October, Mental Illness Awareness Week serves as a time to raise public awareness of serious mental illnesses such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, as well as post traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders. I'm celebrating by visiting my psychiatrist tomorrow and my therapist on Wednesday! How convenient is THAT?! Actually, I admit that this awareness week crept up on me. Funny how you forget you're crazy when you're feeling normal. I use the word "crazy" in a sort of self-deprecating fashion. I'll fully admit to the double standard...I'm allowed to use it, you're not. At any rate, my meds -- three of them at the moment -- are at therapeutic levels and I'm trying to cope with the stresses and stumbles

I cannot believe the stealin' deals I got consignment shopping today. Henry has been hurting for clothes ever since the weather turned colder. All his pants had ripped knees or cut off his mid-section circulation. All his long-sleeved shirts showed his belly when he lifted his arms. So I hit the shops this afternoon. In a little over an hour, I managed to find an array of items labeled: Gap, Children's Place, Carter's, OshKosh, Ralph Lauren, Old Navy, and a few Von Maur brands. I managed to snatch up 5 pairs of jeans (with NO rips, incredibly), a couple pairs of khakis, 1 pair of cords, 5 shirts (rugbys, long sleeved-Ts, etc.), 3 sweaters, a soft and fuzzy pullover, and -- the major score for the day -- a Columbia winter coat. Grand total? $105. A. Maze. Ing.

(Those of you who frequent my weight loss blog, I apologize for the repeat.) I made this tonight. And it was terrific. The WW site called it "like a burrito in a bowl." The only problem came at the end of the meal when Tim was taking his last few bites. He bit down on what have been the only chunk of jalapeno in the salsa. And it must've been one doozy of a chunk. He claimed it was the hottest thing he'd ever eaten. Ever. Anyway, watch out for that. Otherwise, it pretty much rocked. Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole WW POINTS® Value: 6 Servings: 6 Preparation Time: 12 min Cooking Time: 30 min Level of Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 1 spray(s) cooking spray 4 cup(s) cooked brown rice 1 1/4 cup(s) salsa 1 tsp ground cumin 15 oz canned refried beans 10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed 4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced 1 Tbsp chili powder 10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl 3/4 cup(s) low-fat shred