At the 200 lb mark

I’m down now from starting at 206.5 to being 200.5. Not too bad for a month, but I could probably do a lot better. Just by walking or using the exercise bike in the kitchen more, I could probably start losing at least two pounds a week.

I was sick recently and it took my appetite for a few days. I’m going to assume that helped with some of this weight loss. The trick will be keeping it off and maintaining without sickness “helping” me in that way.

I’m still eating a lot of fruits and salads; we bought oranges and I had about six in three days or so. I also made sure to still at least have salad and healthier bread products. I’ve begun snacking on saltines and animal crackers {for when I need something sweet} and will see how the oyster crackers my Dad bought taste.

Soup is going to become a big part of my diet, and I’m going to load up on juices and lemonades and teas to ensure I don’t fall off the wagon and load up on soda. If that means only bringing enough money for the tolls or even leaving my debit card in the car at work, so be it.

I’m determined to be at least 185 by March. Hopefully 172 if I can help it, but we’ll see.

One other good thing about being sick; since I ate at a fast food restaurant the night before I got sick, I’m kind of turned off by a lot of fast food. True, I had a Frosty last night, but I also had a salad, and just the salad instead of a Wendy’s meal went a long way in helping me.

-Current Weight: 200.5
-Goal Weight: 185
-Healthy food had today: 2 oranges
-Days Without Soda: 9

Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes, wholeheartedly.

Ask me things. And even stuff.

Excerpt from 'La Belle Dame sans Merci' by John Keats

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,	15
And her eyes were wild.
V. I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She look’d at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.	20
VI. I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.
VII. She found me roots of relish sweet,	25
And honey wild, and manna dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
“I love thee true.”
VIII. She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept, and sigh’d fill sore,	30
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

Top Ten of 2010

Megan's Top Ten Favorite Films of 2010
10. The Bounty Hunter
9. Going the Distance
8. Nightmare on Elm Street
7. The Special Relationship
6. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
5. Iron Man 2
4. Harry Brown
3. Winter's Bone
2. The Town
1. Inception

Megan's Top Ten Worst Films of 2010
10. Shutter Island
9. The A-Team
8. The Other Guys
7. Red
6. Alice in Wonderland
5. MacGruber
4. Legion
3. Splice
2. Clash of the Titans
1. The Last Airbender

Best Film of 2010: The King's Speech
Runner Up: Inception

Biggest Disappointment of 2010: Shutter Island
Runner Up: The Other Guys

What's the most unhealthy thing you ate over Christmas?

Probably the homemade goodies my BFF made for me; peppermint bark, chocolate covered pretzels, buckeyes and sugar cookies.

Ask me things. And even stuff.

What were you passionate about in high school?

Art for the longest time, and then it turned into writing and when I discovered history, that was it.

Ask me things. And even stuff.

Which book-verse would you most like to be sucked into?

Lord of the Rings

Ask me things. And even stuff.

What's the one movie you can watch again and again without getting sick of it, regardless of the last time you watched it?

Hmm, this is a good question. I have a lot of those [since I'm a big movie person}, but probably it would have to be either the original Star Wars trilogy or Tombstone. They're just so well made as films, and I have yet to get tired of them, despite watching them at least twice a year since I was seven years old.

Ask me things. And even stuff.

What's your favorite book?

I have a lot of favorite books. Top 10 would be as follows:
1. Lord of the Rings
2. 'Salem's Lot
3. In Cold Blood
4. The Hobbit
5. The Kitchen God's Wife
6. The Haunting of Hill House
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns
8. Carrie
9. Battle Royale
10. Howl's Moving Castle

Ask me things. And even stuff.

A new year already?

So, since it's a new year, I need to seriously focus on updating this thing more. I need to focus on more important things first, obviously, but my readers {how few there are of you}...I have an obligation, damn it!

I took a count, which took awhile, and I watched 191 films last year. That's about 15 films or so a month. I also read 32 books, which is about 2 books a month. One of my goals for this year is to read 50 books, and so far, I have read one this year; Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. It's a re-read, but it's something, I suppose.

I feel like watching 191 movies in a year has to be a record of some sort. As it is, I'm well on my way to blowing it out of the water. So far this year, I've watched 8 films. 8 films in 6 days. I know I could try harder, but since moving up to New Hampshire, my movie-watching has declined significantly. Probably because I have to choose between the internet and a movie, where I didn't have to down in Maryland. There's no wireless in this house, unfortunately, because of the mountains. Hopefully, I can get that 100 or 150 foot USB cable and bring myself out into the living room, or even my own room, and get to watching and interneting at the same time again.

43 Things in 43 Months

Planning is key.

1. Read 50 books {at least 75% of them have to be new books, not just re-reads}.
2. Go back to school
3. Lose 30 pounds {202.5 by my last weigh in, so we'll set that as the marker}
4. Travel to England
5. Plant a garden
6. Go to New York again
7. Become fluent in Spanish
8. Exercise more
9. Travel to Japan
10. Travel around Europe for a year
11. Visit Boston
12. Wake up by 9 AM every day
13. Visit all 50 states {28/50. 22 more to go!}
14. Take a road trip
15. Learn Japanese
16. Learn German
17. Read The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
18. Learn how to style hair
19. Stop wasting so much time on the internet
20. Attend a taping of SNL
21. Write a screenplay
22. Learn to knit
23. Publish first novel
24. Watch every movie on the AFI's Top 100 list
25. Learn to let things go
26. Hike the Presidential Range in New Hampshire
27. Get out of credit card debt
28. Watch the IMDB Top 250 movies
29. Cook at home more
30. Re-learn how to play the guitar
31. Watch all of Alfred Hitchcock's films
32. Read the complete Sherlock Holmes collection
33. Get married one day
34. See Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon
35. Eat a salad and one fruit a day
36. Travel to New Orleans, Louisiana
37. Visit 50 of the World Heritage sites
38. Be a vegetarian for a week
39. Win 10 Man v. Food challenges
40. Visit Washington state
41. Swim in the Pacific Ocean
42. Get a passport
43. Get my own place