Sunday's musings

It has been a fairly low-key weekend so far. Yesterday Tim and I went to Petco for dogfood and to Sarrs for groceries. Tim's union contract renewal for the Machinists union comes up for vote Sept 3. I am trying not to panic because we've been through strikes before, but I am praying the company makes a decent contract offer so that the machinists (Tim) doesn't go on strike. One strike lasted for 3 months! No pay for 3 weeks, then $150 a week strike pay from the union. We have made it before, and Tim says that if they went on strike for a few weeks in September it wouldn't be so bad because he could go hunting and not have to use vacation.
I want to pay things off though, and a strike will delay that. I have been staying away from shopping at the Mall this month...although I got a call from one of salesgirls I know at the Estee Lauder counter at Macy's telling me there's a great gift with purchase coming up around Labor Day. I really like the toner and cleanser in the pink containers for dry skin and I am almost out, but I should just go to the drug store and get cheaper versions of both, especially with the possibility of the strike looming.
Next week is our last week of summer hours...getting off work at 4:30 pm. After Labor Day we go back to 5pm (start still the same at 8:30am)....the bosses are taking us out this Wednesday night after work to Red Robin for appetizers and drinks to say goodbye to summer so that is nice of them.
It was hot out yesterday, still 79 degrees in house last night at 9pm. Seems cooler today so far. I am going to eat breakfast, take a shower and go to early church service at 9am, Tim is up too so he will probably go. Michael and his friend Nick were supposed to start working on replacing our front yard fence this weekend (Michael is my youngest stepson, age 26) but Michael hurt his back at work and had to also work Saturday so they are planning to do it next weekend. Tim is going grouse hunting Sept 1 & 2, taking the dogs, then he comes back 9-3 for the contact vote. So I will have a few days next week totally to myself, no hubby no dogs! Maybe I'll rent a couple of movies as I haven't seen anything for ages.
A friend of mine at work and I are supposed to start tomorrow on weight loss. I want to lose 10 lbs, and she wants to lose not quite that much. I picked up a 3 lb weights yesterday to do some arm exercises...just holding one of them made me think that 3 times that weight is what I want to lose and even one 3 lb weight felt like a lot. I think my back will feel better if I lose 10 lbs. But I have such bad habits eating junk like Cheetoe or chips, or snacking on candy bars at work. I know the drill, like don't buy that stuff, etc. and I am going to try to go less on portions and move more. I used to walk a lot more than I have this summer and I need to get back to it. It isn't going to get any easier the older I get. I just feel uncomfortable where I am right now, and some of my clothes for work are getting tight. I wore these nice pants I like on Thursday and all day I felt miserable as they were tight in the waist, and when I bought them last fall, they were fine. I just have to remember I am not 20 anymore and I can't eat like I was. I don't feel good about myself right now. And I wonder though, is it the culture, is it the magazines which are always so focused on being thin, the tv, the pressure I feel from others (comments made by unnamed people about my weight recently) that make me want to lose or do I really want to? I think I really want to, for me.