i really love this knitted clutch purse over at fig and plum. might have to go buy some dowels and satin ribbon soon!

musicplasma is a cool "visual search engine" that displays your favorite artist connected to other, similiar artists you might enjoy. for the most part, my absolute favs have been linked to other artists i enjoy... so it's pretty authentic. [heard on call for help]

create a map of the places you have traveled with world66. no need for a map and push-pins. here's my map of american states and european countries i have visited. this makes me want to travel!

four weeks and a few days, i've managed to lose 12-1/2 pounds... i got stuck at 10-1/2 and didnt' lose anything (or gain) for close to a week, which frustrated me. i've decided that i was overdosing on the allowed fruit, so i've cut that back. workouts have increased. thank goodness for my hips, because my jeans would fall down without them! seriously, i think i spend half my time pulling the things up every other minute. and i don't even have to un-zip them anymore to remove them. that's about the only place i've noticed any weight loss -- in my stomach area.

textamerica sucks. that place is the buggiest application i've ever seen in my life. they've had issues from day one: slow loads, images disappearing, etc... unfortunately they seem to be the most diverse "phone blog" source on the web, that i know of. :(

latest issue: instead of the three most recent images showing up over there in the left column, the last image shows up three times. (which i've taken off and just have one showing up for now.) also, the title doesn't match up with the image half of the time...

any other mobloggers know of a better place?

i reached my first goal of 10 pounds a few days ago! finally... and, since then i'm down to 10-1/2. we've moved into phase two of the plan which adds in some fruit -- yum! i think the best thing about phase two is not having eggs for breakfast every single morning. haven't had as many cravings in between meals like i was toward the end of week three on phase one. the book has some really tasty recipes that i've enjoyed. i'm learning more about what is allowed in the diet. and, i am feeling a little confident when looking at other recipes from other sources and knowing whether or not they would be okay to try -- that will come in handy after we've tried all the ones in the book! working out is still going on at least six times a week.

if you watch any craptastic reality shows on mtv, surely you've seen the "buzz-worthy" clips during the credits showing the classic rock band the darkness and their video for "i believe in a thing called love" (second video down). the flamboyant, over-the-top 70s glam rock video is so bad that it's good, and it is my current favorite. almost everything about the lead singer -- his vocal style, presence and performance -- is reminiscent of freddie mercury, the late-great frontman of my all-time favorite band queen.

"everyone's too uptight these days," says the darkness bassist frankie, "i hate the arrogance of bands who think their petty emotions are interesting. if you look at bands from 25 years ago, people have smiles on their faces. we're bringing a bit of that back."

this is so wrong on so many levels: flip flop socks. i mean, if your little toes are cold, put on some real socks and shoes.

only knitters will appreciate this link: a music video made mostly out of yarn. (did anyone else feel sorry for the knitter who's piece gets frogged at the end?) watch steriogram's "walkie talkie man" video. [via: not martha]

still going. we decided to add on an additional week of phase one, which is fine because i'd like to get to my first goal of 10 pounds by the end of this phase, which i think is obtainable. last i checked, down seven. i've finally started working out, doing so each night on the treadmill. i wish i could see more progress with the weight loss, but i know it takes time. i'm just feeling impatient.

the fun thing, so far is overcoming my fear of purchasing, bringing home and cooking fish. i've always been paranoid of the process -- worried that it'd spoil by the time i got done with check-out. i've always liked cod fish, but have discovered a new favorite: orange roughy. the stuff tastes like butter, i think i could eat it every day for the rest of my life and be happy. still can't quite warm up to salmon, forget mahi mahi (what is that stuff anyway?) and tuna (the smell alone).

five pounds and counting. the diet is easy as far as getting to eat a lot and not feel hungry. however, i'm tired of cooking and/or preparing five meals each day, still not really keen on having to eat breakfast every morning and i loathe going to the grocery store... i'd suggest this diet if you like to eat, but not if you'd prefer to stay out of the kitchen. too much temptation for me lies within the kitchen and grocery store. it's really tough for me to go into the grocery store and walk past all the options available that aren't considered right for this diet. and, i've always been a "nibble here and there" chef -- it's really difficult to keep myself from sampling. i still don't get really hungry for any of the meals either, yet i'm eating them none-the-less. for me, this diet is more about learning a new way of controlling/maintaining my way of eating more than it is about losing weight.