YouTubed

As of this posting the video tribute to me has only received 4 views.

Snow end in sight

I guess we're waiting for spring.

Wasting away

I'm down another 4.8 lbs. I got another star at the meeting tonite (we didn't really attend the meeting. We weighed in and left) I was kind of freaked out that the woman wanted to give me a name tag. Then again I could've given her an awesome name like "Chubby McBurger" or "Gary Gastric."

After the meeting we went to Olive Garden - for soup and salad. Only when I got home I learned the pasta fagioli was 12 points a bowl and I had 2!!! Thank goodness I get a lot of points. And then we bought a pie - not for us, mind you.

More press

Here's a write-up for an award I'm receiving tonight.

Here's the tribute the guys at work created for me.

And here's a blog entry about the video.

No clean-up yet.

Also fake spiderwebs (that we assumed were just Halloween decorations) are still on the bushes in the front yard.

You can call me "Slim"

Mariella and I started doing Weight Watchers last week. The meetings were a bit strange at first. Sort of like an overzealous church group meeting but instead of God we were talking about weight loss. My natural sarcasm sense kept tingling through the whole meeting. Our leader, Carl, has been a member for 35 years and has lost 200 pounds. But by the end of the first meeting I really kind of enjoyed the chubby camraderie.

It really seems that I'm eating more than I did before because I have to keep track of everything including portion size. I get way more "points" than Mariella, so I'm always looking for something to eat. But apparently it works as I dropped 6 lbs. the first week. Which is awesome. I'm kind of disappointed that we have to go to a different meeting next week because I have an awards reception to go to.

Very specific

Apparently, the Parmatown Giant Eagle was tired of customers constantly being unable to find the gerbil food.

Another Marc's find

Creepy on many levels.

Creepy

I own an old house in Toledo that we're rehabbing in order to sell. It's a duplex that was built in 1925. I had some radiators burst a couple of years ago and we've been working on the house ever since. So I was up there by myself from Thursday evening through Saturday morning doing some work. I was sanding and restaining some woodwork where there was previously one of the original radiators. I found a scrap of paper between the wall and molding.

I didn't think much of it. Until a little further down the wall I found this one:

Now, I'm not easily spooked. I've spent two nights inside a haunted prison. Macho man, blah, blah, blah. But when I found myself in this old house by myself my mind can run a little wild - and I started thinking that the noise of the sander is disturbing the spirit realm. I'm not even sure I believe in ghosts but this freaked me out a bit. But I really needed to get this stuff done. So I figured that I have Dad on my side in any supernatural, paranormal battle royale.

I kept sanding and came across these:

It seems I was just cleaning up after some kid who's probably now approaching retirement.

Baby found in van down by the river

Tempting fate

The highs and lows of my sister Karen.

A closer (but still messy) look

A dramatic improvement.

Not really.

Cap'n Chloe

Arrrrrrr, i'm an annoying pirate