Well long, story short, the odd smell in the basement was the dryer--probably the old covering on the wires. Hubby had checked the plug and touched the front, but we did not touch underneath some sheets that were lying on top until he came home on Saturday afternoon for some cooler clothing. We were very lucky that the day turned warm and that he thought to ask me when I dried those sheets. (The answer was Thursday!)

That dryer was in this house when we bought it in 1993, and I told the realtor then that it looked so old, I wanted to replace it. Her answer was, "Why? It's in the basement where no one sees it, so just use it until it quits." I told hubby, "Call Joan and tell her the dryer just quit!" LOL

Being the curious sort, we decided to get the serial number and see if we could possibly determine its age--and we did. The dryer was manufactured in 1971. Yep. That Maytag was 44 years old, and until this week, it dried clothes better than any dryer I've ever used. They do not make appliances like that any more! The new dryer that is being delivered tomorrow may last 10 years if I'm lucky.

But back to the topic of this board. Sorry, I digress. Light, I'm afraid to step on the scale this week. As I said, we've been in one of those cycles where every event is food focused and between work and getting ready for the holidays, my spare time for activity is being squeezed.

Kelly, I too struggle with stress, and sometimes when I'm stressed, I eat for comfort. And I've been doing some of that with work and family deaths and the holidays upon us. I know that when I'm super busy and afraid that I can't get everything done that I want or need to get done, I need to work hard to not procrastinate. If I can just get some sense of accomplishment in some areas, it helps in all areas. But when I'm stressed, I tend to freeze up, which just makes everything worse. Sharing about what's going on helps, too--here or with a friend. If not, I get into that "everyone else has it easier than me" thinking. To think that for a second is ridiculous, but honestly, I can go there very easily if I stay in my own head.

In terms of activity this time of year, I know that I should start getting into bed earlier so that I can get in some activity before I start work. I know that--but I have not yet been able to get my butt in gear and do that. When I work until 7 or so, the evening is just so short. So I'm saying that here so it will be in my mind. That--and that I'm supposed to working on logging food throughout the day so I can make adjustments.

Between rain, work, and unexpected household stuff, I got little to no activity yesterday, and I have a haircut appointment tonight that makes getting to the mall a little difficult. But the last time I had an evening haircut, I took my walking shoes and went by the mall on the way home, so maybe I can get my rear end in gear tonight, too. I am not hearing from my walking buddy, so I think her extra holiday-related work stress is overwhelming her. Working with poor families this time of year takes a special kind of person.

Lois, one of the women who was at our Thanksgiving gathering had to leave a little early due to a migraine. She told me that her doctor said that he thinks dental issues she has been dealing with has been triggering her migraines. I thought of you. I'm glad that this one seems to be passing quickly.

New dryers? Bah, humbug! I also think they do something to our clothes, and I suspect that the linen tops I love in warmer weather and have always tossed in the dryer will now have to be line dried or--god forbid, laid out horizontal to dry. (Don't you hate that?)

Yesterday, I weighed 146, which was less than I expected; today I weighed 146.6, and goodness knows what weigh-in day tomorrow will bring. Sheesh, I am so envious of you in the low 130s that I could just spit. I want to blame the fact that I work at this desk, but I was working at this desk when I was down at that weight three years, so I guess I can't hide behind that excuse.

I know that it's all coming down to doing things like watching portion size, seasoning (I used to retrieve my vegetables before hubby added butter), and just plain choices. I'm allowing myself to choose the cookie over the apple more often than I used to.

And before I forget Kelly--I agree with Sheesh. Remembering that I've handled many things that stressed me at the time helps me get through the anxiety of the day. A friend once advised me to write down my fears on a piece of paper, put them in a box, and then go through the box some time later. She said that would do two things--help me focus on exactly what was causing me anxiety by making me name it, and when looking back, see that most of my fears never materialize. But I'm afraid I'm a bit of a Woody Allen. He says that "Worry works because most things I worry about never happen!"