Weight Watchers and the CaRWA; Frugalista on Pause

Well, it's been three weeks and I've lost about 12 lbs. It's a drop in the ocean as I have a lot to lose. But it's a start. And this time I'm much calmer about the road ahead. It is a life change this time, not a diet.

The only irritation is the Weight Watchers leader, who is one of those people that call you 'dear' in a quite condescending way. And her meetings are boring. I usually try to stay for the meetings. Her's are dull and she doesn't really work on highlighting the achievements of her group of people.

Oh well, there are worse things!

I have been going to the gym three times a week for the past three weeks and I am starting to improve my fitness. The lady who owns the gym is willing to trade massages for training sessions. So once I am up and running, I will get my arse kicked by a trainer. Yay!

On Thursday night I drove up to Calgary to go to the Calgary Romance Writer's of America meeting (CaRWA). Don't let the 'Romance' fool you. These are a bunch of serious ladies, and a couple of men, determined to be published or are published. It is a great group to join as there are a lot of networking opportunities. In October, you get to pitch to a real agent and talk to an editor.

Lastly, I am not posting Frugalista stuff for a bit now, as I am spending some money and getting EI. My account is fluctuating a lot and will be for the next few months. Hopefully, I will be able to start saving again soon!

Life in MediumSizedTown is good, so far. The massage clinic opens in the middle of July and I am happier than I have been for a long time.

I have given myself permission to give up on SSgt Blue Eyes. I know he is a player, but until I've got someone tangible in front of me, I know he'll be in the back of my mind. I have an obsessive nature that way. And since it is unlikely I will meet anyone in the near future, I will probably still think of him from time to time. Unfortunately.

Sucked in by SSgt Blue Eyes Again, Belly, Massage Galore and a Wonderful Group of Writers

Things are really going swimmingly at the moment. I have found a premises for a reasonable rent. I am starting my self-employment course on Monday which runs for three days a week for eight weeks. But the greatest thing is that I can continue to collect unemployment for the remainder of my claim while I am setting up my business.

So I am moving all of my equipment in on the 2nd of July. And should be open for business soon after that!

Another bit of good news. I finally, after 8 weeks of waiting, will finally get my first unemployment cheque on Monday. Unfortunately there are so many deductions taken out of it that it only amounts to just over $400, but at least I can start replenishing my savings.

As for Belly Belly, I went to Weight Watchers this week and am down 4.4 pounds. It's going to be a long haul, but I've lost almost 8 pounds so far - that's a good start at least.

I also am going to the gym three days a week, and it feels good to to aerobic and weight training again!

I formerly stated that I joined a writer's group in Lethbridge. Last Tuesday I went to the Fiction Writer's Sub-Group and it was bloody fantastic. All writers are looking to be published and dedicated to writing. They will be so good for feedback and accountability!

As for SSgt Blue Eyes, I am such a numpty when it comes to him. I started talking to him online again. And after about a week of messages and online chats, he disappears offline. Again. Repeating history. So he's either playing mind games, is with someone else, or has a wife that I don't know about. I ALWAYS promise myself not to get sucked in again by him, and he always does.

So hopefully I will find myself a living, breathing distraction by the end of the summer, after I lose a bit more weight :) I don't think that I want a long term relationship again. Hmm, well if I do, it will have to be a flexible relationship. And someone who would not be adverse to moving down to Belize. That's a tall order! Possible, but very improbable.

Sorry it's Been So Long, This Will Be a Mixed Bag

Okay to start out with I have to say that I did have quite a Frugalista Count-down in the past month. Living expenses, moving, etc. I am still waiting on EI. So I now have a balance of $3,555.19. That's a loss of $1311.33. And I may have to lose some more later when opening up my business.

So a week ago, we loaded up the UHaul and moved everything back to MediumSizedTown. Then I went back to Medicine Hat for a week and worked at the bar until the end of the month. I camped out in my house until Monday.

But, I am now living at my parents, and things are going quite well so far. I told my mother about my plan to retire in Belize and she thought it was a good plan. So that's all out in the open now.

As for SSgt Blue Eyes, it turns out he wasn't here. I recently talked to him online and he just was returned to that regiment and there wasn't a job for him on the battlegroup. So he stayed in Germany.At least we've cleared that up now. And happy that I haven't seen him. Even happier he hasn't seen me at my enlarged state.

This may be delusional self-talk, but I think I finally have my relationship with him under control. It is never
going to be more than it is. I just have to keep realising that fact and it will all be fine.

About my belly belly; I've always been big girl, but I did ALOT of grief eating after my brother's death. Now that I'm back in MediumSizedTown, I'm joining Weight Watchers. There's a group in a town 20 mins north of here that meets on Thursdays. So here I come Weight Watchers. And there will go the belly!


As for starting my own business in MediumSizedTown, I've enrolled myself in a self-employment course that people who are unemployed can take. That starts in Lethbridge on the 21st of June. It's three days a week and you can continue to collect unemployment insurance for up to 26 weeks even though you are unemployed - you don't have to claim any income.

Anyway that's all for now - more later.....

Philosophy 0.101

I'm getting ready to move to MediumSizedTown. I am/was really looking forward to it. But the reality has also set in and I'm getting scared.
I am leaving another chunk of my life behind and starting all over again. Which is scary, but it also makes me question whether it is the right choice. I hope it is.
It will be nice to only work one job. For the past 7 years I have been doing more than one thing. Going to college whilst having a job, holding 2-3 jobs down at the same time, etc. I'm pooped.
They say that 40 is the new 20. I'm just looking forward to not feeling my age and having a normal schedule.
But, I am moving to a smaller centre. Admittedly, it is a short drive to two cities. So it's not as if I'll be bereft of all things urban.
But living in a town changes things. You do have to watch what you say. Because if you piss off the wrong person, there goes your reputation and your business. Oh well, I think (or hope) I can handle that. I grew up in a town, so at least I have experience.
Also, this is a way that I can find time to write, finally, so I can make the biggest move in a few years - Belize!
_________________
Change of subject. I was wondering why I have been so obsessed with SSgt Blue Eyes. Up until recently, I had him firmly put in the 'dead file' folder in my brain. But I think with everything changing, that maybe I wanted 'closure' (isn't that a catch all word that means nothing and everything?).
Or maybe I just wanted to remember what it felt like to have that lust, that blush of feelings that make you feel all adolescent.
But I think that I have moved on now, or at least am almost there.
I have three more weeks here. Let's hope I make the best of them.

Frugalista Count Up 12!

Bar job payday. Bigger then usual, as I put in a few more hours then usual. Added $472.14. Making the total $4,866.52! Every bit helps :) At the moment there are going to be additonal expenses in my life. Moving, and going out for dinners and drinks saying goodbye to friends.
Tomorrow night I'm doing that. And I'm looking forward to it. But I'm going to do something not necessarily underhanded, but it sort of feels that way.
SSgt Blue Eyes. I know he's bad news for me but I do want to know if he's coming out this year, if he's deceived me in the ways that I'm sure he has, etc. etc.
One of the girls I'm having dinner with is dating a guy in the same regiment. They've been together for about 3-4 years. I'm going to ask her to find out for me if she doesn't mind.
I'm at work at the bar and have plenty of opportunity to ask other soldiers in his regiment about him. But then it gets around that I'm asking. This way is more discreet. And if I don't find out anything, then I probably wasn't meant to know anyhow.
Am I obsessed? Maybe a little.

Frugalista Count-up 11! And may be the Start of the Dwindle Down, too!

I got my tax return the other day, adding $2,048 to the bank account making the total $4.394.37!

But the contract to my job ended on Monday and I have a little more pay coming my way. After that, I'm moving back to MediumSizedTown and waiting for EI to kick in. I'll be living in MediumSizedTown before the end of May.

I'm planning on opening up a Massage Clinic in MediumSizedTown. There is a small business course you can take whilst on EI (Employment Insurance). I have an appointment to meet with the coordinator of the course in Lethbridge on Tuesday. Lethbridge is near MediumSizedTown. So I hope that they will let me on the course. It is three days a week for eight weeks and the next course starts at the end of June.

As for my bar job, that has slowed down because the battlegroup has gone on the field for three weeks so instead of there being 2000 soldiers on camp there are only 70. We usually have three bars open (Junior Ranks Club, Sergeant's Mess, and the Officer's Mess). Now we turn the JRC (Junior Ranks Club) into an all ranks bar for the next three weeks.

Update about SSgt Blue Eyes. I don't think he is here. He may be due to come later this year but I won't be here. Which is good news.

Good news, yes. But  alas, I am female and my logic gene is not always intact when it comes to men. The logic part of me didn't want to see him, but it doesn't stop me from being disappointed in not seeing him. Got to love that internal dialogue! My best analogy for it is that I'm on a diet and he is chocolate. I miss the chocolate but know it isn't good for me.

Anyway, so starting a new life at 40. This should give me more time for the Belly and the Book, though. Working three jobs trying to make ends meet makes it harder to eat healthily, exercise and find time for writing much.

This moving and starting a new life will make the next moving and starting a new life in a few years easier, this is like a trial run, except without the great culture and weather!

False Sense or Not, I'm Feeling More Secure...

Well, I haven't seen SSgt Blue Eyes yet. My initial plan was to avoid him at all costs. I haven't seen him, but I haven't been in a position to avoid him if if he is here.
Let me clarify. One of my jobs is working in the bars on the Crowfoot side of BATUS (British Army Training Unit Suffield). The Crowfoot side is where the battlegroup are housed. On this side of camp there are three bars. The JRC (Junior Ranks Club), the WO2 and Sgt's Mess, and the Officer's Mess.
So your rank determines which bar you go to. Usually.
At the beginning of battlegroups, when the full battlegroup is not yet in, sometimes they make the JRC an 'All Ranks' mess. And everyone drinks together.
I was planning on working in the Officer's Mess, but since there isn't one open yet, I have worked in the JRC.
But I haven't seen him yet, and am happy. Relieved. Ecstatic. Perhaps he's one of the few not deployed. Maybe he's avoiding me. Ah well, who knows? All I know is I haven't seen him and I'm not jumping every time a new person walks in the bar.
So false sense of security or not, I'm feeling more secure. Whew!

Turn that Impatient Frown Upside Down, and then Upside Down Again

I have a 35-40 minute drive on the Number 1 Highway (also known as the TransCan) every morning to work. This morning I was stuck behind a large modular home that was travelling at a snail's pace. I started getting aggravated. But then, I imagined how I would feel if I were driving behind my new Mennonite home being transported.

I immediately calmed down and started enjoying the drive. Someday, it will be my home holding up traffic.

On the flip side, the first flight of the battlegroup came in last night. There will be another flight of them tommorrow, and then the next day, and so on until the full battlegroup is in. So SSgt Blue Eyes could be in a briefing at this very moment. Apparently they get some quite vivid images of the types of STD's they can catch if they associate with the 'looser' girls, aka Bin Bunnies. Yikes (that's yikes to SSgt Blue Eyes, I'm safe from the STD's :)).

Aside: Why Bin Bunnies? Well, for years there was one main bar for the soldiers to go to. It was in a hotel called the Assinoboia Inn. It then got the nickname Sin Bin. Women who are always sleeping with soldiers hung out at the Bin all the time and were called Bin Bunnies. The Sin Bin got shut down about 4 years ago (after being the bar of choice for over 20 years). So the name Bin Bunny sticks.

Frugalista May Have to Have a Dwindle Down :(

 I am very proud of how much money that I've saved in just over nine weeks. But I have mentioned that I am probably moving to MediumSizedTown after my job at the base is over. My job here is (hopefully) over in four weeks.

Edit: Nope, looked through previous blogs and it doesn't look like I've mentioned it. Well, I work at the base and I'm covering someone's maternity leave. I hate the job, but it's a living wage. No other jobs have come up as there is a federal hiring freeze. I have decided that I will open up a Massage Therapy Clinic in a less saturated environment. The environment is, as previously mentioned, MediumSizedTown.

I would probably move about three weeks later. I can't give notice on my place until I know for sure that the girl that is maternity leave is returning. Since she only has to give two weeks notice, I won't know for sure until after the first week in April.

So since I will not be able to get out of my house until the end of May, I will apply for EI (employment insurance) and make sure that I get all of my damage deposit. I will work at the bar on the base until mid-May.

As an aside, I probably won't be needed after the end of April. The first battlegroup will be going on the field for three weeks on May 1st. They leave a skeleton staff behind, and we will only need one of the three bars there open during this time. That's usually the way it goes, with only a few exceptions over the years.

So hopefully I can dodge SSgt Blue Eyes until the end of April.

But I veered off subject there. All I was going to mention before my libido memory kicked in again was that being unemployed and moving will probably at least halve my savings.

And setting up a new massage therapy clinic will do the same.

But I will build it up again. Faster.

I'll be living with my parents for the first year and they will only take minimal rent off me. I will have EI until I start making more than my EI. So I will be able to save money soon enough. Stronger. Faster. (Cue Bionic Woman or should that be Frugalista Bionic Woman).

Weighing Down on My Psyche (or is that Psycho?)

Well, I haven't really committed to the weight loss thing as much as I should have. I haven't lost any weight really. Well a negligible amount.


A new motivator is on the horizon. In the years that I have tended bar out at the base, I have met several men. Liked a few. Really liked very few. Falling for a British Soldier is as sensible as thinking that cotton candy is a great diet food. But there are some that stick with you. The ones that have taken up a part of your memory and have a rusty old hook in you. One such person may be coming back for the first battlegroup of the season. Battlegroups are regiments of the British Army that go on army exercises, including live firing on a piece of prairie the size of Wales.

But I digress. He may be coming back. His regiment is. I was in contact with him, albeit sporadically for the past 2 years. Up until about 6 months ago when I realised that he wasn't good for me. He was my cotton candy. He was cute and sweet with amazing blue eyes. But he hid behind amazing lies. I knew he was lying when he did it, but I still was drawn to him.

I met him first 6 years ago. And every two years, his regiment comes back. Sigh.

All I've ever done is kiss him. A two and half hour snogging sesh last time he was here.

He has that rusting hook in my psyche.

In four to six weeks he’ll be here (if he’s with the battlegroup this year, there’s a small chance he isn’t - I am so hoping he isn't-well most of me is hoping he isn't). So I better get my arse moving so I can at least look good.

Still staying celibate though. Just want to look tasty. Just in case I have a tiny little hook into his psyche. I doubt it, but there’s always a chance huh?