147.4 The Grass Isn't Always On the Other Side of the Fence

I'm glad the grass in this vacant lot reaches into the park!  I secretly cheer for it to get as far into the park as it can.  I rejoice at how tall the wild grass is.  I love the smell and the feel of the freshly cut grass in the park; don't get me wrong.  I enjoy the contrast, though.  Despite popular belief, the grass is actually greener on this side of the fence -- but on the other side it is taller, more free, untamed, wild.  Living in the city, it is easy to forget that grass is naturally tall.

I gained .8 pounds yesterday, but I am still within my weight-loss goal of 145 pounds to 149.9 pounds.  For exercise, I walked both dogs 1.3 miles in this park.  Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms
El Monterey bean and cheese burrito with salsa
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms
1/2 can Amy's organic lentil soup with steamed broccoli
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms
Ritz Cheese N Crackers snack pack

146.6 I Like the Term Highbrow, Meaning Intelligent

Can you see why I like the term 'highbrow', meaning 'intelligent'? I have one heck of a high forehead! According to the people who coined the term 'highbrow', my high forehead means I have a lot of brains in my head... I've never been a great beauty, so I have always prided myself on my brain.

People are uncomfortable when they see how high my brow is, too! They pressure me to hide it, and usually I do, by wearing bangs in my hair. Once in a while I forget to hide my huge forehead, though, such as in this photo taken yesterday while I pet my dog Oreo.

According to Wikipedia, the word highbrow was first printed in 1884, but Will Irvin made it popular in 1902. Most of the film and book sources I remember seeing this word in were from the late 1940s to the early 1950s.

I lost 2.8 pounds yesterday. For exercise, I walked my usual route of 1.3 miles and shopped at Winco Foods. Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms
El Monterey beef, bean and green chili burrito with salsa
Small hamburger patty with a tablespoon of BBQ sauce and steamed broccoli

149.4 Tennis Ball Grip and Finger Nails

As some of you know, I am learning to use Photoshop Elements 10 to edit photos. Up until a week ago, I was using Microsoft Paint. I tried to figure Photoshop out on my own, but couldn't, so two days ago I bought Barabra Brundage's missing manual. I think it is helping a lot, but I know I still have 100 times more to learn than I already know about photo editing.

I selected the portion of the photo that included my hand and arm and then cut it out from the background that was in the photo. The selection job I did was actually not too bad, but then:

I made the mistake of using the eraser tool with black selected instead of the background color.

I know it looks awful. Live and learn.

Scott gave me this tennis ball to grip and strengthen the muscles in my right arm. I have to keep my finger nails this short so that I can type all day. Yes, that is a really bad selection job I did on this photo.

I spend most of my day sitting here at the computer, typing or editing. That acid that builds up when you get muscle cramps builds up particularly in my right hand and arm because during the 30 minutes I walk the dogs every day, I hold their leashes with my left hand. They give my left hand and arm a great workout, but my right hand needs it, too. Squeezing the tennis ball is helping to get the acid out of my muscles and relieve the cramping. My husband is pretty great.

Yes, my finger nails are really short! I honestly don't know how you gals with long finger nails manage to type. Honestly. My nails really bug me if they get any longer than this. No, I don't bite them. I clip them. I keep a nail clipper on my key chain for convenience.

I gained 1.4 pounds yesterday, but I am still within my weight-loss goal of 145 pounds to 149.9 pounds. I walked the dogs 1.3 miles. Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms
El Monterey bean and cheese burrito with salsa
Homemade chicken fajitas with shredded cheddar cheese, cream cheese instead of sour cream, tortilla, and chicken and onion sauteed in butter (This is what gained me the 1.4 pounds. It is also my favorite meal.)
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms