It was a rainy day today. I started looking at the keyboard and LCD for the new version of Kahlo. Needed to transfer some more files onto my new computer to use Orcad with the old libraries. Libbie and I went to the new Walmart in Apex and bought new windshield wipers for the Corolla and 5 quarts of 0W20 oil for the Prius. The store was nicely stocked. After that we decided to find pansies at the Farmers Market. Dinner was the TJ's eggplant cutlets baked into a caserole. This was yummy. Worked on the fruit and wedding picture for Laura. Heard from Adrienne that TAVS needs a full page ad for the souvenir book. Lots to do.

I did the grocery run and then cut up the remaining pieces of fascia board for the back. Finished the fascia job except for the corners and the metal drip edge. Finished the first pass of Laura and Brian's album. Mailed it to Laura and copied Anne. I heard from Anne via telephone right away. She's back from NYC and loved the album. Blood pressure was good today, 121/80. This was better than last time which was 141 and caused me to seek online blood pressure medication. ATPWF took off today because they said they are seeking to be listed on the NY Exchange. Once there they will be able to significantly increase their price since currently many institutions are not permitted to own pink sheet stocks. Dinner was the Indian chicken dishes we picked up in Trader Joe's. After dinner I read my book a little then watched Shakira on Dancing with the Stars. The wrestler Chuck Liddell got kicked off tonight with partner Anna.

I worked all morning removing the rest of the fascia boards over the shop and then put up the newly painted boards. It started raining around 1 PM before I put up the last two boards. The job cane out pretty good. When Libbie came home we went over to Trader Joe's since I ran out of apples. Picked up pasta and some Indian dishes. Once again, a pretty girl told us about how her husband liked the butter chicken so we bought some. Dinner was the Trader Joe pasta with tomato sauce and Parmesan. We watched Dancing with the Stars after dinner. Very sexy dances with the lambada being performed. I liked swimsuit model Joanna and Derek. Weight was holding today at around 117.5

Went to Lowes after reading the Sunday newspaper and bought the 12 foot fascia boards. they stuck out the back of the Corolla but not much of a problem. Libbie painted them leaning against the trailer. I bent a bracket and climbed the ladder to put it in place to support one end of the board when it's attached. We left for the opera at 2:30 for the 3:00 performance. What a show!!!! Rheingold as I never saw it before. It was very artsy but the music was very powerful. The pretty girl was doing a wine tasting once again. Very pretty in a black top and jeans with blond hair. I enjoyed talking to her. Afterward the opera we had Libbie's homemade pizza which was fantastic.

In the morning I fixed the halogen landscape light that went out and also looked at the corner bead in the back to determine if it needed replacing. It doesn't, but some flashing down by the roof edge would help to keep water off. We scrambled around to get ready for the 1 PM opera of Tosca from the Met at North Hills. When we got there we found out that tickets were now available for some of the other performances. We bought Aida tickets for North Hills and decided to think about what to do about the Danville tickets Nov 7. On the way home we stopped in BJ's and picked up a salmon for dinner which we had with butternut squash and Shiraz.

At 9:30 I went over to Walmart and bought socks, underwear, a shirt and looked at oil. They had 0W20 but not in the jug size. Next I went to Lowes and got the 2x6 needed for the headers. Spent the afternoon framing in the rotted headers and soffit supports. Libbie was at a violet sale in Goldsboro. Finished by adding the soffits but not the corner piece because the corner bead is rotten. Need to replace it. For dinner tonight I went to Krogers and had their ribs along with Turning Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon and Sweet potato. It's been a long time since we've had ribs. I hope I'm not on the path to getting obese again. The stock market is doing nicely. I spent some of our divvy earnings by transferring 2400 from Scottrade to pay our Visa card. It had the charges for the trailer, trailer tow bar and nail compressor and nail guns. It took some time and effort to get the moneylinks established between the CU, Scottrade and Schwab so that I could transfer money back and forth at will. Used the CU money to buy ATPWF on Schwab. Used Scottrade to pay the Visa bill.

It's a beautiful day. I set the ladder up in the back and took the soffit down. I found the rotted wood went further than first thought. The entire header board needs replacing under the fascia board. I worked on tearing it all down then took a break for a BLT lunch that Libbie fixed for us. Went back out and got the rest of the header down. Tried fitting the license plate to the trailer but the trailer bracket is too small so I'll see if the Fred Anderson bracket can be repurposed. Dinner tonight was a nice light shrimp and vegetable medley. 70 calories per serving, 2.5 servings per container. While the news was on tonight I did some web searching for Prius oil and oil filters.

I finished the first half of the album today and sent a PDF of the results so far to Laura and Brian. My verification deposits went OK into Scottrade. I used the new money link to pay the Visa bill on Schwab. I previously used the Moneylink to the Credit Union to transfer $1900 to help with my purchase of ATPWF. I now have 2300 shares which I own for the dividend to pay the condo quarterly fee. There's still a little rain around. I went to the greenhouse this morning and replaced the Hot Dog fan motor. The new one came from Modine as a Warranty replacement for no charge. Dinner was the Sausage Calzone that has been in the freezer for some time. It was pretty good but we don't eat those fatty foods anymore.

Surprisingly it's still raining. Worked on some more album pictures before we left at 12:30 for the zoo. Arrived there at 2:00. There was a light misty rain all the way. The Violets at the zoo were spectacular. Couldn't believe how many there were in the display house. We got home near 6 PM and went striaght over to dinner at La Cocina. It was Margarita night so we each had one along with a shrimp, chicken and beef Quasedea. Very nice but I was finished for the night with all the food.

A rainy day. I took my umbrella and did the full walk, all 4 miles. Dinner was pasta in Trader Joes marinara sauce. I put a big effort into Laura's album today. Heard from Stephanie Hunter. Tom passed away unexpectedly Sept 9, she's 4 months pregnant. What a tragedy. I couldn't help thinking about him. We pulled up their wedding pictures and went through them. They seemed such a happy couple but her life is now turned upside down. Libbie and I found his obit on the web. He was 30.

Weight has stabilized. Went into Krogers for my newspaper because I didn't have any quarters for the machine. Surprisingly a woman had a cart full of groceries in front of me at this early hour. It's a very nice day. I worked on the egret program which compiles this block into annual books of entries. One book covers an entire year. The program is fully functional at this point. I may expand it in the future to combine multiple years, for example 5 or 10 years at a time. I was supposed to work on the wedding photos but very little got done. Tomorrow I'll hit it full time. We walked up to 1010 and through Surrey for our walk on this beautiful afternoon. Libbie made her excellent pizza again for dinner. Last week we had the Trader Joe Margherita pizza. Wikipedia says that Margherita is a type of Italian pizza that is a basic crust, tomato sauce, basil and spices and slides of mozzarella.

We slept in this morning until 7:30. I don't like doing this. Started working on the Nicholas pictures this morning. Tracked them all down and put them into a directory so now I can chronologically build the pages. Did the full 4.3 mile walk. It's a nice day today, airly warm. Libbie went with me to Kohls where we bought a jacket for me. I needed a lightweight fall and spring jacket. This fits the bill. It was $59 and Libbie had a $29 gift card so it was great all around. Supposedly list price was $100. Dinner tonight was grilled chicken with baked beets and baked white potato wedges cooked in olive oil. This was a very yummy dinner.

Did the Starbucks taste test today with the instant vs real coffee. I liked the real thing but the instant was passable. Next I went to Home Depot this morning and picked up some finishing nails for the finish nailer. I found that the 18 gauge nails did not work in the finish nailer. I had to get 16 gauge nails. I also went to Lowes and got some .113 galvanized nails which I tried into a 2x4 at home. Most of the nails bent before going all the way in which was dismaying. Downloaded the Nicholas pictures and printed the list before working on the Dec-C++ compiler. Got it to compile a "hello world program" as well as some sample windows menu programs. Left at 6 for First Friday. Nichol had a performing arts theme at the Capitol Plaza bank with wine and a very nice buffet. We then went to Artspace and Visual Arts. I had a grilled tuna at Cafe Luna before heading home. We parked in the Moore station garage which was convenient to everything. It's right at Caffe Luna. The other side of it is near Capitol Bank.

Answered an eMail from Anne about the wedding album. Worked on the heater a little bit. Removed the fan and took it home. We have a new one on order from Gorrell under warranty. The old motor is dead. Dinner was Briyani. I did a 3 mile walk - up one side of the lake only from Home. Met Coleman in Home Depot when I was looking at galvanized finish nails. I bought a package of roach bait traps, the liquid kind based on our success with the initial package. I think we're winning the roach war but it's too early to tell. Dinner was scallops over whole whea Linguini.

Last day of the month. I officially weigh 118 poinds. I thought it was the 1st because I looked online for my divvy's from XCJ, HLM and ATPWF. I did get a statement from Schwab for the new credit card. Now I need to fill in the online forms to get electronic payments enabled. I don't want to mail a check. I'm working on the Elizabeth Adler book, need to finish 400 pages by Friday. I'm up to page 300. Did a 3 mile walk today.

I updated the event schedule this morning. We had a conflict between judging and show start. Studied my portfolio and am thinking of making some changes. I wanted to lighten up 200 shares on the lower yield XCJ and redistribute the money into ATPW and BAC-W. ATPWF had a spike this morning so I may wait for that to settle. I have to wait for XCJ to pay a divvy first before I consider it safe to sell. Divvy is scheduled for 10/1 but will wait and see. Did not walk today!!! After yesterdays debacle, I decided to rest up today. Cut the plywood for the soffit in the back and also bought a finish nailer from Home Depot using a 10% off coupon. It came with a brad nailer as well. I only wanted the finish nailer. Lib cut up the chicken and simmered it in curry simmer sauce with brocolli. In the evening I made a serious debt in the St Tropez book since it's a 7 day rental due this Friday and it's a 400 page book.

A big weigh in this morning, I'm at 118.25 which means the 118.5 yesterday was no fluke. Late last night I emailed the MAAVS eMemo which was difficult to do because Roadrunner was not cooperating. I did the walk thing which was not a good idea because after lunch we went over to the greenhouse to cover up the sidewall. I ran out of energy and needed to stop many times. I was weak and tired. The pneumatic stapler and nailer worked well with little effort to tack down the strip on top and nail the firring strips on the bottom. Came home, took a shower and crashed. I went late to Krogers for roasted chicken, they were out at 7:10 PM. I bought a cold one and the nice lady in the deli counter gave me a microwave bag to reheat it. We had that with potato salad except Libbie had Macaroni and Cheese. I read some more of the book - I really like this author although it looks doubtful about finishing in 7 days which is up Friday. After the greenhouse work I weighed 217 but it doesn't count. I only track morning weigh ins.

Quite surprised by my weight this morning. It was 218.5. I'm pleased but expected it to spike up a little due to the wine. Not bad. I eagerly fired up my computer to log this new poundage into the Fat Ass Chronicles on Google Docs. I started cleaning the tool closet in the garage so I can store the air tools and compressor in one side of it. While we were having chicken salad lunch on the back porch, Libbie found that the Galaxy was playing La Boheme. We did a quick up Seagroves and then got cleaned up and left at 2:30 for the 3:00 movie. Turned around at Krogers because we didn't have cash and I remembered that the Galaxy doesn't take credit cards. We got to the heater at 8 minutes of. I was correct, no credit cards. We enjoyed the performance with Anna and Rolando. It was a film instead of a stage peformance. We stopped by Trader Joes on the way home and tried their frozen Mergerhita Pizza. It was very good, probably the best frozen pizza I have eaten. Afterwards I wanted to read my novel since it's a 7 day loan which means 60 pages per day minimum but I struggled with Roadrunner and the MAAVS eMemo.

Went to Home Depot and picked up a ratchet tie down stretch strap. Hooked up the trailer and picked up the garden tractor which went easily onto the tilt trailer. I won't need the aluminum ramps anymore. Mowed the front and back and then hooked up the aerator with cinder block weights strapped on top. Dragged it around the yard and tore up the backyard pretty good. Went with Libbie to Lowes and picked up grass seed and also daffodil bulbs for fall planting. Sprinkled the grass seed in a light rain which was excellent. Next I took a 2 mile walk around the lake at 3 PM. It was a little gray, misty and chilly but I wanted the exercise. I weighed in at 219.5 this morning which is my Oct 1 goal. I wanted to be under 220. Libbie and I went to Krogers, tasted wine of which we bought a Turning Leaf Cabernet then bought a pork chop for dinner which we had with a single glass of wine from last night and beets and roasted red potatoes. It was a perfect dinner. Afterward I read some more of the St Tropez novel which has to go back in less that 7 days since it's a library new novel. I think I can make it.

The 220 from walking yesterday held this morning!!!! My morning weight, which is the one I record in the fat ass chronicle, was the same as my walking weight from yesterday. There may be a chance I drop below 220 this weekend. I sure hope so. I need to get to the greenhouse and repair the fence this morning.
Updated the MAAVS web site with the latest convention info. Got the descriptions of the presentations and entertainment which I added to the site. Afterward I went to the greenhouse and fixed the barbed wire fence across the pipeline. They cit both strands of wire which I repaired and supported in the center with some electrical pipes. This seems to be a good repair. Tried killing some fire ants along the foundation of the garage. Lib brought the Ambrol home and we walked up the hill to try zapping some up by the birdhouse. Next step was to go to Agri Supply for a trailer. I didn't like that the new trailer was 5 feet wide instead of 4 but it will do. I had to buy a 2 inch ball, then borrowed one of the tools in the store to loosen the old 1 7/8 ball. I hand tightened the new 2 inch ball and hooked up the new trailer. Bought a new pin for the receiver because I didn't trust the old pin. Used the clip from the old pin to hold the hitch latch in place. Did not have lights for the trip home in a misty rain. We stopped at the Farmers market on the way to AgriSupply and got our produce for the week. Dinner was Silverbrite salmon from Krogers along with broccoli and sweet potato. As a diet buster I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. At least it wasn't half the bottle. Before dinner I drove to the lake and walked around once then went to the library and picked up a new novel by Elizabeth Adler, "There's Something About St Tropez", a 7 day rental. Much reading to do.

Went to Lowes this morning to get nail gun nails and air hose fittings. Met Coleman there when i was checking out. Dropped the wood off at the greenhouse and found all the spotlights were broken. Need to repair the fencing and put a second fence up in the front to keep people out. Hooked up the compressor and hoses then tried the air stapler. It worked well. Later I fired a couple of 8d nails using the framing nailer. I may get a trim nailer to work on the house fascia and soffits. Weight after the 4.4 mile walk was 220. This is finally good news. The bad news is that September has not been a very good month, I'm only down about 3 pounds for the month. Dinner was crab cakes with tomato and lettuce. I'm pretty disappointed that we're not eating veggies but instead all this other gunk.

The compressor, the air hose and the stapler arrived today. The compressor is heavy. I filled it with oil, installed the air filter and briefly ran it. I need couplers for my air hose since it doesn't have any and none came with the compressor. Home Depot orLowes should fill the bill. Wall Street is doing great. All my preferreds are performing above par. Net portfolio is at a high. Now it's time to sit back and collect the divvy's. Did the 4.4 mile walk today and finished the Gemma Bruce book. I looked this author up and found her bio. Former dancer with Thyla Thorp turned writer. Dinner tonight was spinach lasagna. Watched the elimination show on Dancing with the stars tonight then watched the opening of the NY Philharmonic. They have a new conductor, alan Gilbert. I wasn't too keen on Renee Fleming's choice of songs. My weight is holding. with luck I will see 219 by Oct 1. I hated the AVSA web site tonight. Still have nothing but crap for the convention.

It was pouring rain when Libbie put the garbage and recycling cans out. I was happy because the scale reads 220.5 this morning. This is a new and satisfying low. I want to be under 220 by Oct 1, whether it's 219 or 219.9. Northern called that my nail gun is here. This is dumb. It costs $159 in the store of $99 online with free delivery to the store. I'll pick it up when I go out to get the groceries this morning.
Picked up the nail gun. They ended up giving me two. I tried protesting but the clerk was insistent. I left with two. Bought gas at BJ's for 1.39 on the way to the grocery store. UPS will come with the air hose and pneumatic stapler tomorrow. Fedex is bringing the compressor tomorrow. UPS delivered the SlingBox today. I'll use this to transmit Sarasota cable to Apex.
Watched Dancing with the Stars tonight. It wasn't too bad although I was hardly interested. Dinner was Tortellini with marinara sauce.

Still holding at 221 which is good because we had BLT lunch yesterday and then pizza last night. Nice to see the weight hold, it was not a flash in the pan. I visited the printer this morning and learned about their color copier. Sent in a JPG of "the once and future violet" and they made 25 color copies for $1 each. Lib and I picked them up - they are gorgeous! I went home and made up a bunch more signs for the MAAVS convention. Dinner was yummy. Libbie put the remaining Marsala chicken breast over some whole wheat linguine. After dinner we watched the Pete Seger birthday and then Dancing with the Stars.

I achieved 221 this morning. The light eating the past few days combined with a 4.4 mile walk each day did the trick. This is happiness. Not much time to walk since we had to leave at 1 for a 2 PM Swan Lake. We got there early so we enjoyed sitting out by the fountain with a view down Fayetteville Street and the capitol in the background. There was a large group of young ballerinas getting their picture taken in front. The weather was perfect. I really enjoyed the performance, especially the ending water scene. It was a spectacular effect. afterward I walked to Krogers to return the Visitor DVD we watched te night before. Libbie made her outstanding pizza once again. We watched the Emmys in the evening, especially the red carpet fashions.