katefl24

I wanted to mention that good shoes do NOT last 3000 miles. They will last about 350-500 miles maximum. While the tread may not look worn, the shock absorption breaks down after this impact. (I can feel it in my knees if I have pushed my shoes beyond their mileage limits. Once I get new ones, things are fine again.) Another thing is that as a new runner, you should start slow or you will face injuries. Especially when you move into the higher distances, my threshold was about 35 miles a week when injuries began. Take your time, and gradually build up. Also listen to your body: when things hurt, rest! (I didn't do this, and had to learn the hard way.)

I have an ipod sports armband, so it's attached to me and as stable as possible when running. I think the new video ipods are more sensitive to breakage than the older ones. Probably something about the video component, I've only heard people talking about the video ones breaking from running.

I am an avid runner, I like to run 5 miles a day at a fast pace (about 35 minutes for 5 miles). I broke my video ipod after 4 months due to running. Apple gave me a new one, but I bought a shuffle for running and use the other for biking/weight training/rollerblading/the car/home/etc. I didn't want to, but I didn't want to run the risk of breaking my video ipod again AFTER the warranty ran out. If people tell you that you can run with it, they must not run very intensely.

I would say a safe bet would be a short term CD (certificate of deposit). You can get them for as little as 6-12 months, and they pay much more than a savings account (3-5% usually, versus 1%). They are also very safe, if risk is a concern for you. If you wanted something higher yield, you could get into the stockmarket but it's much risker and requires more investing knowledge. Retirement accounts are also safe but you can't touch that money without penalties until retirement so if you want/plan to use this money for something in the next few years that might not be the way to go. My personal best advice? Keep saving until you can use it as a downpayment on house. I bought my first at 23 and while it was scary at first, I am SO glad I did as it has been a very good investment. But if you aren't ready for that, a CD is the way to go. You can set it up through nearly any bank easily, usually with no fees if you are a member.

He will probably only continue to deny it. Pathological liars never give up, even when you have them nailed down with proof. That's how my ex was at least. I was like, "We're broken up, I know it for sure, people have come out of the woodworks telling me the truth now. Why bother denying it? And no matter how you protest/keep claiming your innocence, I know it isn't true." He still denied it, and it didn't make me feel any better. I don't think it would have made me feel any better if he had finally admitted it though either. The bigger thing was that I accepted that it was the truth, he was a liar and cheater, and I wasn't going to have to deal with that ever again.

I can relate to the feelings of being cheated and cursed in some way. When my older borther died at age 20 when I was 17, it was very difficult for my mom, dad, and younger brother. But I was able to rationalize that it was a freak accident that unfortunately struck our family. When my younger brother died in August 2003, we felt cursed. People said it was like winning the "unlucky lottery" to lose both sons/brothers at such young ages, in such unexpected ways. I have read "Hello from Heaven" and liked it a lot. I saw that I wasn't crazy, a lot of the same "signs" I had such as their scent filling the room at certain times, lights coming on/off for no reason at all, the car alarm going off 15 times in a day for a few weeks following their deaths... were all mentioned in the book. I do think that unless you've experienced this you would think we were all nuts, but I am a complete believer. People don't truly understand unless they have been through a traumatic loss like we have. Another book my mother loved and has given to other parents who've lost children was "A Broken Heart Still Beats", have you read that one? She said it expressed how she felt totally, and took a different approach from other books on grief: that you will never "get over" it and that shouldn't be your goal, but instead it's about learning to live with the pain. I still have days where I miss them so much, and know that the big events they will miss in my life - getting married, having kids, etc - will be especially tough for me. Like you, I feel stronger and wiser due to everything I've experiences. I also think it has made me try to be a better person, and to appreciate life more. I try and take the few positives that I can out of it.

Didn't you read when I wrote, "I LIVE IN FLORIDA, WE JUST HAD HURRICANE WILMA?" Obviously, I have been in a similar situation to Katrina victims. Florida has had 3 major hurricanes is just over one year, how do you think we feel? We didn't ask for Hurricane's Jeanne, Frances, and Wilma (plus Katrina but it was only a category 1 when it hit Florida - people seem to forget that it did hit us though). Oh yeah, I forgot, the media didn't give us the coverage New Orleans got after Katrina. The rest of the nation has no idea how bad it was to be without power, groceries, gas, money from atm's, hot food, HOT SHOWERS etc. for over a week (some people up to two and three), people not having jobs to work at because everything is closed because of no power. And yes we have blue tarps ALL OVER - in fact my neighborhood still hasn't finished repairing the roofs from Jeanne last year. I do feel bad for them, but I hate people making excuses. By the way, I do know what great personal loss is as I lost both my brothers at ages 20 and 21 - it CAN happen to anyone, even my family members. And it sucks, and I felt like giving up at times but you know what? I made a choice to go on and live my life in a positive, productive way. You have a choice, and trust me at times I would rather have given up (almost did), but I make the choice every day to get up and go to work. I didn't have a job after the second brother died and it was extremely hard for me to force myself to go to interviews (or to get out of bed at all some days) as it all felt so pointless but I did. Bottom line: What's different between New Orleans and Florida really? You ignored that point completely. Why should some people be expected to prepared for these things and others aren't, the government is expected to take care of them.

I tend to agree with Elizabeth. I live in Florida, and after Hurricane Wilma we did not get $2000 from FEMA. We were expected to bear the related hurricane expenses ourself. Those of us living here have learned that we need to prepare for these kind of natural disasters, to protect our homes and ourselves. It is very expensive to live in South Florida, part of that being the high cost of home and flood insurance. (Most people pay over $3000 a year for the home insurance, and flood insurance is about $1000 a year.) Yet people manage. If they can't, they should move somewhere else. I was very "poor" for a while in college, and know the stress of wondering where you will get money for gas, for food, to fix your car when it breaks down. Every little thing in life is harder without money. But for me that wasn't an excuse, I found ways to get by. And I vowed that I would never LET myself be in that position ever again. Everyone has choices in life, and I do agree the New Orleans situation has been shaped and molded by the media. When I first heard about the $2000 FEMA cards that would be unregulated but "suggested" to be used for necessities, I knew that it would be abused. Why couldn't the governemnt limit them to pay for food, clothing, and housing? Food stamps are regulated so as to limit the abuse. I was not surprised at all to ready that FEMA cards were spent at strip clubs and on alcohol, as well as other abuses that were clearly not hurricane related necessities. There was no other big story going on, so the media decided to cover Katrina. (We didn't see near as much on Wilma and the destruction in caused here.) I do feel bad for those who were really hurt by it, but what about everyone in Florida who were out of work for a week and didn't get paid because we had no power, some still don't have power here? We got nothing. (I am lucky that my company was good enough to pay everyone even though we didn't work, but many were not as lucky.) But maybe I too just sit on a pedestal... PS - If I had only $10, I probably wouldn't own a home because I know I couldn't afford to protect my asset, I would rent as it's cheaper anyway. (Or if it were REALLY bad I would qualify for Section 8 housing assistance. Some pay as little as $0-$50 a month in rent through government programs like this one!) Then the owners would have to pay for Hurricane related dwelling damage and I probably wouldn't own enough valuable furniture/personal possessions to need rental insurance anyway. Where there's a will, there's a way. People do whatever it takes to survive.

I tried a lot of products to reduce razor burn and bumps, but the only one that REALLY made a big difference is called "Bump Stopper". It's for men, but it works for me. Apparently it has some sort of exfoliant to keep the hairs from growing in, something that makes the hair finer so it'll be less able to grown in, and an antibacterial to fight infections from hairs already starting to grow in and get infected. The only thing is you have to use it pretty much every day to really help. The website is link removed in case anyone wants more info, just though I'd mention that for me it works.

Just though I'd tell you that after having three children, my father had a vasectomy. Years later he married my stepmom whom had never had kids and wanted one of her own. He had it reversed, and while it took a while (due to HER age according to the doctor, not because of the vasectomy reversal) they finally had my sister, her at 43 and him at 50. While it may not be as easy, don't think that it is impossible. It was worth the effort for them, as my stepmom got to have her baby. (I must say I'm glad as well because I love my little sister so much.)

Running is the best cardio for weight loss because it burns the most calories. She should continue the running, but exercise alone won't do it. Diet is very important whern trying to lose weight, you basically need to burn more than you are consuming EVERY day or it won't come off. Some people make the mistake of thinking, "Well, I ran so I can now eat a huge dinner" or desert, or whatever. Also, I notice that some women's idea of working out at the gym is not really what I consider a "work out" - you should be sweating and your heart rate should be up or you aren't working out hard enough. For the treadmill, she can try increasing the incline or speed (or both), or going for longer (time or distance) than she is currently doing. I have worked out for nearly three years, but started runnning a few months ago and have lost that last toughest 5 pounds and am down to a size 1! So it does work, but I also eat very well. Lots of lean meats like chicken, eggs (whites - yolks have cholesterol and fat), and fish with a lot of vegetables and fruit. You don't have to go "no carb" crazy, but you should limit them. I eat sweet potatoes instead of regular, whole wheat pasta instead of plain, use "I can't believe it's not butter" spray, drink lots of water, skim milk, egg beaters.. All of which are either fat free or low fat. I do eat desert on occasion but it's like one tiny scoop or icecream instead of a whole bowl - portion size matters ALOT. Another thing that makes a huge difference is eating small "meals" throughout the day - more like three meals and three snacks. You should aim to be eating a meal, then a snack, then a meal, then snack every 3 hours to keep your body burning calories at it's maximum rate. For snacks in a hurry I like Pria bars (110 calories - men's protein bars typically have lots of calories, around 300 usually), or a piece of fruit. Additionally, I would add some weight training as building muscle will naturally boost your metabolism and get your body burning more calories even when you aren't working out. My mom swore she just couldn't lose weight no matter what she did, and I had her exercising daily and following my advice, she lost like 20 pounds. She didn't believe it would work for her, but it did. At first it's hard to get used to not eating anything fried, cutting out fast food, and ordering grilled chicken salads (fat free dressing on the side) at restaurants but amazingly your body gets used to it. Now if I eat fast food, it makes me sick to my stomach afterwards and that keeps me from wanting it. I hope this helps, I would also recommend maybe you work out and try eating healthier together as well, it will make it easier for your girlfriend and will encourage her.

As a "Western" woman, I found the last post to be offensive. I have had conversations with Latin women about the relationship differences that exist. The opinion of my friend was that latin women are trained to be subserviant and to accept their husbands affairs/poor behaviors due to the economic reliance that exists in the culture. The difference? I work and thereforeeee do not HAVE to rely on a man and hence do not have to "put up" with affairs, mistreatment, etc. Now, maybe because of that I am going to come off as "less loving" (although I do come home from work and cook dinner for my boyfriend, do his laundry, etc...some of the "traditional" gender roles) but in reality what must threaten you is that I am not going to put up with as much of your crap as a latin women might. If you want a doormat, that's fine but don't make a statement that there are no good Western women. That's like saying all men are pigs.... I guess I am so lucky to have found a man who isn't threatened by my intelligence, independence, and career and doesn't view it as a negative.

I'm so sorry. I watched my parents suffer the losses of their two sons (and suffered myself) and I know that it forever changes you. All I can say is that while you will never get over it, it will get easier and you will one day smile again, and one day laugh again. Eventually you might be able to remember your son in good way without the pain and tears that probably accompany all your memories of him. But it will take a long, long time. My mom's best advice to others mothers who have lost children is, "It's not about getting over the pain, it's about learning to live with it." Also while there are a million books out there the only one my mom said helped her, that she has (unfortunately) given to other parents is called, " A Broken Heart Still Beats". I hope maybe it helps you. He will never be forgotten by those who loved him.

That's what I was thinking, expecially since two of his best firends are getting married soon and both asked their dads. I was present when they were talking about how nerve wracking it is to ask, but something you have to do...Still I don't really think that could be it. I'm more concerned with getting past the I love you barrier...

Okay, here's the situation: I've been with my boyfriend just over a year. He moved in with me four months ago (at first, was going to be temporary but we've since decided to continue it) and everything is great. I'm completely in love with him, and I think he feels the same way. His actions say so, other people notice and call us "lovebirds", very affectionate, everything I could want. The problem? Neither of us has actually said "I love you." I've nearly said it a bunch of times, it's always right at the tip of my tongue but I'm still scared of the awkwardness/being first/etc. In fact I MAY have said it once even but I'm not sure. (I know that must sound weird, so here's the explanation: I was just about to fall asleep in his arms and sometimes at that point I get really groggy and "out of it". So I think I said, "I love you" and remember thinking to myself oh no! but figured 1) he might be asleep and not heard or 2) he would dismiss it as me being sleepy. He said, "I love you too" and I remember thinking how silly it was that I even doubted he would say it back. But all of that may have been a dream, that's how out of it I get at that right-about-to-fall-asleep moment.) Is it weird that we haven't said "I love you" by now? I find myself saying all kinds of other three word terms of endearment (you're so sweet, you're so cute, etc..) and I think they are kind of substitutes for the big 3 words. He does too, for that matter. I've always been extremely nervous with him because of how much I like him, and he knows that, but I can't seem to get over the nerves! It's always been a problem for me, I was a nervous wreck when we had to discuss his moving in and it took me until the last minute to finally discuss/offer. Another thing: we are going to Mexico soon for our first real vacation together, to an incredibly romantic resort, all of which was his idea. Some people from my work have said, "He's going to propose to you," but I doubt that since we haven't even said I love you. Although we have discussed our future, kids, talk about things "when we're forty" etc. indicating we are both on the same page with eventually wanting that. Anyway I pretty much dismissed it until recently, but then we had an odd conversation wherein he mentioned him going to see my dad – without me. That struck me as really weird, it has never happened and I don't know why he would want to do that! But still, he couldn't be thinking of proposing before "I love you" is said right? Sorry this is long and thanks for the advice.