Digits

I have to remember to mark things neighborhood only. You slip once and you start hearing from all sorts...

When was the last time you made a drastic change to your personal style (i.e., wardrobe, hairstyle, etc.)? What did you do? 
Submitted by miyna. 

This year I resolved to eat less, which more or less coincided with my marital woes, which helped immensely--without a spouse to cook & provide for, I was perfectly happy skipping meals and/or just having cereal. That change has led to a wardrobe change, because losing 25 pounds and 4 inches off my waist inside of a year has rendered most of my clothing unwearable. The downside here is small: I don't have the $ to buy new pants, so I'm cinching my belt up waaay too tight. But the upside--wearing the same size pants I did as a college freshman--well, let's just say I don't mind cinching the belt that much. Once I have a few bucks, I'm going to dress in whatever I want, not in whatever comes in my formerly giant size. I can shop off the rack at Urban Outfitters or Old Navy or anywhere else now, and I hope that'll be reflected in my style.

Now that I'm leaner, I've transitioned to salads for most munches and dinners. I'm feeling and looking better than I have in 10 years. On the dive trip I just took, the guys I hung around with were all in their early and mid-20s, and I didn't have any trouble keeping up. If it wasn't for the carpet of gray hair popping up all over my bean, I'd be positively boyish!

I still have some inches & pounds to lose, and I'd like to firm everything up a bit more, but at this point it's going to be more about maintenance. I'm a food lover, and a nervous/stressful eater. In the past, when times were tough, I would sit down and eat an entire pizza and a half pound of peanut M&Ms. Now I try to walk off the stress. Not that I'm under that much stress, but you know. I'm going to bite the bullet and join the gym here in town, and actually go 3 times  a week. Ugh.

I suppose another big change is financial. I had grown accustomed to buying what I wanted when I wanted it, and now my budget is tight enough that I have to shop carefully at the grocery store, let alone buy a DVD. But that's OK too--I'm eating well and happy, and my bills are just about paid on time. Once I move into my new, smaller, cheaper place (the next 2 weeks, oh joy) I should be able to pay every bill when it comes up and maybe, possibly go on a few roadtrips and/or a real vacation.

So more lifestyle changes? Yeah, between the move, becoming single, the diet, the money... I think Fidgette's favorite lifestyle change has been the sharp increase in the quantity and quality of her walks. 3 a day plus a hike when I can bring her along.

What are the 10 foods you must have in your refrigerator and/or your kitchen cabinet? 
Submitted by Carol.  

In the fridge: Aged cheddar cheese, OJ, bagels, mixed baby lettuce, Lactaid

In the cupboard: tuna, white beans, cereal (granola & Lucky Charms), microwave popcorn, peanut butter

BONUS freezer items!: soft pretzels, Boca Italian sausage, brussels sprouts, creamed spinach, assorted weight watchers entrees for lazy nights

Awright cranky for the bitchen GAF sampler (I do not get on vox often enough to keep current). I've sampled The Church so many times I can no longer remember which ones I've posted & which I haven't, so here are some recenter, more favoriter tracks. Hope you like 'em.

What are the 5 words that best describe your life right now?
Submitted by mojito.  

Surprisingly happy, professionally fulfilling, busy

What celebrity do you most often get told you resemble? 
Submitted by Leets.  

For years I got Morrissey, then after Pulp Fiction came out I heard Quentin Tarantino. People stopped me in the street to tell me I looked like QT. Lately, nobody--until a few days ago. Tom Hanks? Me?

Hard to believe 1: I finally populated my MySpace page. No surprises for any of you, though--my voxpals get the skinny first. But hey, take some pity and friend me up--it's lonely with just glassy-eyed Tom there.

Hard to believe 2: This fucking awful monster was right outside my townhouse a few days ago:

The willpower it took to place my cellphone within gripping distance of his awful mandibles was immense, but I felt I needed something beyond the red plastic party cup for scale to show how truly monstrous this tarantula was. Oh my god I felt myself shiver all over; it was the largest such specimen I've ever seen in the wild by a wide margin. I mean, look at it again--just horrible.

Anyway, this monster was just creeping around the parking lot, I saw him, photographed him and ran. No big whoop, I guess. A few days later, I hear this story about how one of my neighbors, a nice gal with lots of plants, had 3 of her bigger potted ferns placed outside to get some sun. later that night she brings them back into her living room, and--can you see where this is going?--she gets a surprise visitor in the form of this fucking awful creature IN HER HOUSE. What do you do? This type spider eats birds. BIRDS.

Anyhoo, I bought a UV flashlight so that when I'm on a night hike in the sand dunes, these goddamned unholy beasts can't sneak up on me. It's also good for CSI-style examinations of coworkers' chairs & desk areas. After all, wouldn't you want to know what, uh, substances are lurking on yr tabletops?

$7 on eBay...

Why do you live where you live?
Submitted by memtony.

That's a great question, one that I've asked myself countless times lately. Who knows? I sure don't.