To Coffee .....Or Not To Coffee ... That Is The Question !

Posted Oct 7, 2006 by jriley

Updated Oct 7, 2006 at 01:30 PM

Although I did not totally stick to my meal plan this week, I did lose 2 pounds.  I tried staying off coffee, but I felt brain dead the whole day. My

body is so used to having a cup every morning and a shower right after…..need both to wake up…. Do I have permission to have only that one

cup?  …..please…..  I think I can handle everything else.

I only worked out 3 times this week –step aerobics, kick-boxing and upper body blast –I know I can do better than that.  I’m going to start

getting up earlier and work out in the morning, instead of making plans for later in the day and not getting around to it.

I went ahead and ordered all the supplements Dr. Sheila, the dietician recommended -over $200 bucks –Ouch! …… but hey, beauty has it’s

price !

Water – that’s another issue…  gotta start drinking more…..

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Sting Rays To Stay On Cruise Itineraries

Posted Oct 7, 2006 by Chris Chmura

Updated Oct 7, 2006 at 08:57 PM

A freak encounter with a sting ray killed the crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin.

Petting the creatures is a mainstay of some cruise itineraries, especiallly those to Grand Cayman. But, according to research by Cruise Critic, the excursion is here to stay.

Read about it here.

I’ll admit I never thought about that when I saw the Irwin stories.

I’ve never done it, but my wife has. She loved it and has repeatedly told me we have to get back down there and try it. I wonder if she still feels that way?

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Expanding Bottom Line

Posted Oct 7, 2006 by Chris Chmura

Updated Oct 7, 2006 at 06:59 AM

Chinese airlines are said to be buying wider seats for overweight passengers.
Read about it here.
Guess where they bought the planes?
“The West,” article explains.

I’m so offended I’m going on a diet.

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The Agony And The Ecstasy

Posted Oct 7, 2006 by Stacey Shick

Updated Oct 7, 2006 at 01:01 AM

Well, not so much on the agony part, actually. After skipping a week of short runs, I did my long run Friday morning—a 7 miler was on my schedule. It went surprisingly well. No pain in my foot. (Well, maybe a little discomfort, but nothing terrible.) And my time was three minutes faster than the last time I ran 7 miles. Pretty darn good.

The ecstasy? I treated myself to a hot stone pedicure Friday afternoon at Time To Relax Day Spa on Kennedy Boulevard. It is participating in the the Pretty In Pink promotion. Loy made my feet look pretty for the first time in a while—no more bruised toenails out in public. These are the things they don’t tell you when you start running long distances.

Now I’m off to ice my foot again, before heading off to Fort Lauderdale for the weekend. New week, my running gets back on track.

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Bags Be Gone

Posted Oct 6, 2006 by Chris Chmura

Updated Oct 6, 2006 at 10:02 PM

Bad news: More bags missing.
Good news: The liquid ban that caused the spike has been largely lifted.

From my former employer, The AP…

WASHINGTON—The number of bags lost or delayed by airlines continues to climb, with a daily average of 14,089 in August, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics said Wednesday.

It was the worst month for baggage-handling since the one-time meltdown in December 2004. Massive problems with US Airways’ baggage handling over the holidays then were largely responsible for a spike in lost baggage reports - 9.11 per 1,000 passengers - and a number of flight cancellations.

For every 1,000 passengers in August, 8.08 bags were reported lost or delayed, up from both July’s rate of 6.5 and the August 2005 rate of 6.4.

Trouble with checked bags was partly the result of a ban on liquids and gels in carryon luggage after an alleged plot to bomb U.S.-bound jetliners was foiled in Britain.
 
Passengers who normally carried their luggage began checking it to avoid having their toiletries confiscated by security screeners.

“The increased number of bags being checked resulted in more mishandlings,” said David Castelveter, spokesman for the airline trade group Air Transport Association.

The ban was lifted six weeks later after officials decided small amounts of liquids and gels could be carried aboard airplanes if they were put in a quart-size plastic bag.

But the trend is for more bags to be lost, stolen, mishandled or damaged. The number of mishandled bags was 23 percent higher in 2005 than in 2004.

 
Kevin Mitchell, president of the Business Travel Coalition, said seasoned business travelers anticipated bag handling problems during the busy summer months.

He blamed short staffing and strapped baggage-handling systems.

“I don’t think anyone is surprised,” Mitchell said.

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